Order STEPHANOBERYCIFORMES

Common name: Pricklefishes, bigscales, gibberfishes and whalefishes
Summary:

An order of rare deep-sea pelagic fishes, comprising seven families, 75 described, and many undescribed species. In 2009, members of three strikingly different stephanoberycid families, the Cetomimidae (whalefishes), the Megalomycteridae (bignose fishes) and the Mirapinnidae (tapetails), were found to be larvae, females and males of the family Cetomimidae. Researchers recognised that tapetails are larval cetomimids, and that bignose fishes are male cetomimids. Members of three stephanoberyciform families are known from Australian waters.

Cite this page as:
Pricklefishes and allies, STEPHANOBERYCIFORMES in Fishes of Australia, accessed 14 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/order/48

Order References

Colgan, D.C., C.-G. Zhang & J.R. Paxton. 2000. Phylogenetic investigations of the Stephanoberyciformes and Beryciformes, particularly whalefishes (Euteleostei: Cetomimidae), based on partial 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 17: 15–25.

Johnson, G.D. & C. Patterson. 1993. Percomorph phylogeny: a survey of acanthomorphs and a new proposal. Bulletin of Marine Science 52(1): 554–626.

Johnson, G.D., J.R. Paxton, T.T. Sutton, T.P. Satoh, T. Sado, M. Nishida & M. Miya. 2009. Deep-sea mystery solved: astonishing larval transformations and extreme sexual dimorphism unit three fish families. Biology Letters 5: 235-239.

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World (4th edn.) John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, 601 pp.

Paxton, J.R. 1999. Families Gibberichthyidae, Rondeletiidae, Barbourisiidae, Cetomimidae, Mirapinnidae, Megalomycteridae, Anoplogastridae, Diretmidae.  pp. 2203–2211. In Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069–2790.

Paxton, J.R., G.D. Johnson & T. Trnski. 2001. Larvae and juveniles of the deepsea "whalefishes" Barbourisia and Rondeletia (Stephanoberyciformes: Barbourisiidae, Rondeletiidae), with comments on family relationships. Records of the Australian Museum 53(3): 407-425.

Paxton, J.R., J. Hanley, D.J. Bray & D.F. Hoese. 2006. Stephanoberyciformes, In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. Fishes. CSIRO Publishing & Museum Victoria.