{{Short description|Order of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox|<!-- fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Upper Cretaceous|Recent}} [Enchodontoidei are known since earlier times now] --> | fossil_range = {{fossil range|125|0}} Early Cretaceous to present<ref name="Davis-2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=Matthew P. |last2=Fielitz |first2=Christopher |date=2010-12-01 |title=Estimating divergence times of lizardfishes and their allies (Euteleostei: Aulopiformes) and the timing of deep-sea adaptations |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790310003702 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=1194–1208 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.09.003 |pmid=20854916 |bibcode=2010MolPE..57.1194D |issn=1055-7903|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | image = Synodus variegatus.jpg | image_caption = Variegated lizardfish, ''Synodus variegatus''<br/>(Synodontoidei: Synodontidae) | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Aulopiformes | authority = D. E. Rosen, 1973 | subdivision_ranks = Suborders | subdivision = * Alepisauroidei * Chlorophthalmoidei * †Enchodontoidei * Giganturoidei * Synodontoidei | synonyms = Macristiidae (see text) | type_genus = ''Aulopus'' | type_genus_authority = Cloquet, 1816 }}
'''Aulopiformes''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɔː|l|ə|p|ᵻ|f|ɔːr|m|iː|z}}{{Efn|Meaning "''Aulopus''-shaped", from ''Aulopus'' (the type genus) + the standard fish order suffix "-formes"; this ultimately derives from Ancient Greek ''aulós'' (αὐλός, "flute" or "pipe") + Latin ''forma'' ("external form"), the former in reference to the elongated shape of many aulopiforms.<ref>{{harvtxt|Woodhouse|1910}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Glare|1982}}</ref><ref name=fishbase>FishBase (2000)</ref>|name=Aulopus}} is a diverse order of marine ray-finned fish consisting of some 15 extant and several prehistoric families with about 45 genera and over 230 species. The common names '''grinners''', '''lizardfishes and allies''', or '''aulopiforms''' are sometimes used for this group. They are included in the superorder '''Cyclosquamata''',{{Efn|''cyclō'' + ''squāmātus''; "circle scale", referring to the cycloid scales predominant in these fish<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scharpf |first1=Christopher |title=Table of Contents |url=https://etyfish.org/toc/ |website=etyfish.org |access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref>|name=Cyclosquamata}} though modern taxonomists consider this superorder to be unwarranted.
Many extant aulopiforms are deep-sea fishes, with some species recognized as being hermaphroditic, a number of which are able to self-fertilise. Some are benthic, but most are pelagic swimmers (nektonic).<ref name=Nelson-2006-214/><ref name="j+e-1998">{{harvtxt|Johnson|Eschmeyer|1998}}</ref> A clade of Aulopiformes, the suborder Enchodontoidei and its many constituent families, were dominant nektonic fish throughout much of the Late Cretaceous before the extinction of most of their members around the K–Pg event,<ref name="Davis-2010" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chida |first=Mori |date=Fall 2022 |title=A new species of dercetid and the assessment of the phylogeny of the Enchodontoidei (Teleostei: Aulopiformes) |url=https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/17b5d63d-cd83-45a3-a19a-8de2a5074903 |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=ERA |doi=10.7939/r3-nqmz-nf15 |language=en}}</ref> with the Dercetidae surviving for some time in the Cenozoic.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Alvarado-Ortega |first1=Jesús |last2=Díaz-Cruz |first2=Jesús Alberto |date=2021-01-01 |title=Hastichthys totonacus sp. nov., a North American Turonian dercetid fish (Teleostei, Aulopiformes) from the Huehuetla quarry, Puebla, Mexico |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120304430 |journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences |volume=105 |article-number=102900 |doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102900 |bibcode=2021JSAES.10502900A |issn=0895-9811|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |date=2019-07-01 |title=Stratigraphy and Paleobiology of the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Paleogene Sediments from the Trans-Saharan Seaway in Mali |doi=10.7934/p2735 |s2cid=242354960 |website=MorphoBank datasets}}</ref>
==Taxonomy== Past authors have considered aulopiforms to be so distinct as to warrant separation in a monotypic superorder of the Teleostei, the Cyclosquamata. However, monotypic taxa are generally avoided by modern taxonomists if not necessary, and in this case a distinct superorder seems indeed unwarranted: together with the equally dubious superorder "Stenopterygii", the grinners appear to be closely related to some of the Protacanthopterygii, namely, the Salmoniformes (salmon, trout, and relatives), and should perhaps be part of that larger clade. As an alternative, the superorders are sometimes united as an unranked clade named Euteleostei, but in that case the Protacanthopterygii would need to be split further to account for the phylogenetic uncertainty. This would result in a highly cumbersome and taxonomically redundant group of two very small and no less than four monotypic superorders.<ref name=Nelson-2006-214>{{harvtxt|Nelson|2006|p=214}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Diogo|2008}}</ref>
==Description== [[File:Chlorophthalmus agassizi Sardinia.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A shortnose greeneye, ''Chlorophthalmus agassizi''<br/>(Chlorophthalmoidei: Chlorophthalmidae)]] In general, aulopiform fish have a mixture of advanced and primitive characteristics relative to other teleost fish. Aulopiformes are grouped together (claded) because of common features in the structure of their gill arches; their second pharyngobranchial bone (part of the gill arch) is greatly elongated posterolaterally away from third pharyngobranchial, which lacks a cartilaginous condyle to articulate with the preceding bone, but is contacted by the elongated uncinate process of the second epibranchial. Aulopiforms have a gas bladder which is either vestigial or entirely absent, a hypaxialis muscle that is unusually extended forward at its upper end, attaching to the neurocranium below the spine (perhaps to snap the upper part of the skull down when catching prey), and the position of the maxillary bone. Other features include the position of the pelvic fins far back on the body, the fused medial processes of pelvic girdle, and the presence of an adipose fin (which is also typical for the Protacanthopterygii).<ref name=fishbase/><ref name=Nelson-2006-214/><ref name="j+e-1998"/>
The larvae of some Aulopiformes are extremely bizarre-looking, with elongated fins, and do not resemble the adult animals. They were not only described as distinct species, but also even separated as genera and finally in a family "Macristiidae" which was allied with various Protacanthopterygii (''sensu lato''), but the initial assessment – which found ''"Macristium"'' to resemble the deepwater lizardfishes (Bathysauridae) in some details – was in fact not far off the mark: "''Macristium''" species are now known to be the larvae of ''Bathysaurus'', while the supposed other "macristiids" "''Macristiella spp.''" are larvae of the deepsea tripodfish ''Bathytyphlops''.<ref>{{harvtxt|Taylor|2009}}</ref>
Several extant aulopiform families have Cretaceous representatives, and phylogenetic evidence indicates that the extant families of the order diversified around the Early Cretaceous, making it rather ancient. These diversification events included the earliest adaptations for deep-sea living, which is common among many extant aulopiform taxa.<ref name="Davis-2010"/> Below is a timeline indicating fossil evidence for the group: <!--Please add more genera--> <timeline> ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px
Period = from:-105.0 till:15 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:-105.0 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-105.0 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify
Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:cretaceous value:rgb(0.5,0.78,0.31) id:earlycretaceous value:rgb(0.63,0.78,0.65) id:latecretaceous value:rgb(0.74,0.82,0.37) id:cenozoic value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258) id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) id:neogene value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1) id:miocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0) id:pliocene value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68) id:quaternary value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5) id:pleistocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68) id:holocene value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88)
BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:NAM2 bar:NAM3 bar:NAM4 bar:NAM5 bar:NAM6 bar:NAM7 bar:NAM8 bar:NAM9
bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era
PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4)
bar:periodtop from: -105.0 till: -99.6 color:earlycretaceous text:Early from: -99.6 till: -65.5 color:latecretaceous text:Late from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:Paleo. from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:Eo. from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:Oligo. from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:Mio. from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text:Pl. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:Pl. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text:H.
bar:eratop from: -105.0 till: -65.5 color:cretaceous text:Cretaceous from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:Paleogene from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:Neogene from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text:Q.
PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left
color:latecretaceous bar:NAM1 from:-99.6 till:-97.6 text:Nematonotus color:latecretaceous bar:NAM2 from:-99.6 till:-83.5 text:Acrognathus color:eocene bar:NAM3 from:-55.8 till:-48.6 text:Aulopopsis color:eocene bar:NAM4 from:-55.8 till:-48.6 text:Labrophagus color:eocene bar:NAM5 from:-55.8 till:0 text:Aulopus color:eocene bar:NAM6 from:-37.2 till:0 text:Chlorophthalmus color:eocene bar:NAM7 from:-37.2 till:0 text:Scopelosaurus color:oligocene bar:NAM8 from:-28.4 till:0 text:Scopelarchus color:pliocene bar:NAM9 from:-5.332 till:0 text:Notolepis
PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25
bar:period from: -105.0 till: -99.6 color:earlycretaceous text:Early from: -99.6 till: -65.5 color:latecretaceous text:Late from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:Paleo. from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:Eo. from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:Oligo. from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:Mio. from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text:Pl. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:Pl. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text:H.
bar:era from: -105.0 till: -65.5 color:cretaceous text:Cretaceous from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:Paleogene from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:Neogene from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text:Q.
</timeline>
==Classification== [[File:Lejap u5.jpg|thumb|''Lestrolepis japonica''<br/>(Alepisauroidei: Paralepididae)]] [[File:Tripod fish1.jpg|thumb|Tripodfish; ''Bathypterois sp.''<br/>(Chlorophthalmoidei: Ipnopidae)]] [[File:Enchodus petrosus.jpg|thumb|''Enchodus petrosus'', reconstruction<br/>(Enchodontoidei: Enchodontidae)]] [[File:Bathysaurus mollis.jpg|thumb|Highfin lizardfish; ''Bathysaurus mollis''<br/>(Giganturoidei: Bathysauridae)]] * Suborder Alepisauroidei ** Family Alepisauridae – lancetfishes ** Family Anotopteridae – daggertooths (may belong in Paralepididae) ** Family Evermannellidae – sabertooth fishes ** Family Omosudidae – hammerjaw (sometimes included in Alepisauridae) ** Family Paralepididae – barracudinas ** Family †Polymerichthyidae – an extinct alepisauroid closely related to the daggertooths and lancetfish<ref name="uyeno">Uyeno, Teruya. "A Miocene alepisauroid fish of a new family, Polymerichthyidae, from Japan." Bull. Nat. Sci. Mus 10 (1967): 383–394.</ref> ** Family Scopelarchidae – pearleyes * Suborder Chlorophthalmoidei ** Family Bathysauroididae – pale deepsea lizardfish ** Family Bathysauropsidae – lizard greeneyes (sometimes included in Ipnopidae) ** Family Chlorophthalmidae – greeneyes ** Family Ipnopidae – deepsea tripodfishes ** Family Notosudidae – waryfishes * Suborder {{extinct}}Enchodontoidei (including Halecoidei, Ichthyotringoidei, may belong in Alepisauroidei; fossil) ** Genus {{extinct}}''Nardorex'' (fossil, tentatively placed here) ** Genus {{extinct}}''Serrilepis'' (fossil, tentatively placed here) ** Genus {{extinct}}''Yabrudichthys'' (fossil, tentatively placed here) ** Family {{extinct}}Apateopholidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Cimolichthyidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Dercetidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Enchodontidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Eurypholidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Halecidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Ichthyotringidae (fossil) ** Family {{extinct}}Prionolepididae (fossil) * Suborder Giganturoidei ** Family Bathysauridae – deepwater lizardfishes ** Family Giganturidae – telescopefishes * Suborder Synodontoidei ** Family Aulopidae – flagfins ** Family Paraulopidae – "cucumberfishes" ** Family Pseudotrichonotidae – sandliving lizardfishes, sand-diving lizardfishes ** Family Synodontidae – typical lizardfishes *Suborder ''incertae sedis'' **?Family {{extinct}}Cheirothricidae (fossil, generally considered indeterminate eurypterygians)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dietze |first=Kathrin |date=2009-06-01 |title=Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of certain neoteleostean fishes from the Upper Cretaceous of Sendenhorst, Germany |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667108001559 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=559–574 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2008.11.001 |bibcode=2009CrRes..30..559D |issn=0195-6671|url-access=subscription }}</ref> **Genus {{extinct}}''Aulopopsis'' (fossil)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beckett |first1=Hermione |last2=Giles |first2=Sam |last3=Friedman |first3=Matt |date=2018-11-14 |title=Comparative anatomy of the gill skeleton of fossil Aulopiformes (Teleostei: Eurypterygii) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2017.1387184 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=16 |issue=14 |pages=1221–1245 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2017.1387184 |bibcode=2018JSPal..16.1221B |issn=1477-2019}}</ref>
{{extinct}} means extinct.
==Footnotes== {{Notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}}
==References== {{Commons category|Aulopiformes}} * {{cite journal | last = Diogo | first = Rui | title = On the cephalic and pectoral girdle muscles of the deep sea fish ''Alepocephalus rostratus'', with comments on the functional morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the Alepocephaloidei (Teleostei) | journal = Anim. Biol. | volume = 58 | issue = 1 | pages = 23–29 | doi = 10.1163/157075608X303636 | date = 2008 }} *{{FishBase order|order=Aulopiformes}} *{{cite encyclopedia|title=forma|dictionary=Oxford Latin Dictionary|editor-last=Glare|editor-first= P.G.W. |edition = 1st|date=1982|publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford | isbn = 0-19-864224-5 }} *{{cite encyclopedia | last1 = Johnson | first1 = R.K. | last2 = Eschmeyer | first2 = W.N. | date = 1998 | title = Aulopiformes | editor1-last = Paxton | editor1-first = J.R. | editor2-last = Eschmeyer | editor2-first = W.N. | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Fishes | pages = 123–126 | publisher = Academic Press | location = San Diego | isbn = 0-12-547665-5 }} *{{cite book | last = Nelson | first = Joseph S. | date = 2006 | title = Fishes of the World | edition =4th | publisher = John Wiley & Sons, Inc. | isbn = 0-471-25031-7 }} *{{cite journal|last=Sepkoski |first=Jack |title=A compendium of fossil marine animal genera |journal=Bulletins of American Paleontology |volume=364 |page=560 |year=2002 |url=http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |access-date=2011-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723131237/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |archive-date=2011-07-23 }} * {{cite web | last = Taylor | first = Christopher | work = Catalogue of Organisms | url = https://catalogue-of-organisms.blogspot.com/2009/01/living-larvae-and-fossil-fish.html | title = Living Larvae and Fossil Fish | date = 2009-02-05 | access-date = 2009-09-28 }} * {{cite encyclopedia | last = Woodhouse | first = S.C. | date = 1910 |page=330|title=Flute| dictionary = English-Greek Dictionary - A Vocabulary of the Attic Language | publisher = George Routledge & Sons Ltd. | location = Broadway House, Ludgate Hill, E.C. | url = https://artflsrv03.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/efts/sqldbs/WOODHOUSE/woodhouse.py?&pagenumber=330&qtype=page }}
{{Actinopterygii}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q781440}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Aulopiformes Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines Category:Actinopterygii orders