Kingdom Animalia Suborder Trachichthyoidei Phylum Chordata Order Beryciformes | Class Actinopterygii Scientific name Diretmidae Rank Family | |
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Similar Chaca, Beryciformes, Silver spinyfin, Schilbeidae, Berycidae | ||
Spinyfins are a family, Diretmidae, of beryciform fishes. The name is from Greek, di meaning "two" and eretmos meaning "oar". They are found worldwide in deep waters, as deep as 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
As the common name implies, spinyfins have heavy spines along their fins. They have deep, compressed bodies, and almost vertically aligned mouths. They are dark silver in colour, and reach up to 37 cm (15 in) in length.
Fossil species
This family is represented in the fossil record by the extinct Absalomichthys velifer Whitley 1933 from the Late Miocene of Southern California.
References
Spinyfin Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA