Bonefishes

Bonefishes
Albulidae is a family of fish, commonly known as the bonefishes, that are popular as game fish in Florida, select locations in the South Pacific and the Bahamas (where two bonefish are featured on the 10-cent coin) and elsewhere. The family is small, with 11 species in 3 genera. Presently, the bonefishes are in their own order: Albuliformes . The families Halosauridae and Notacanthidae were previously classified in this order, but are now, according to FishBase, given their own order Notacanthiformes. The largest bonefish caught in the Western Hemisphere is a 16-pound, 3 ounce example caught off Islamorada, Florida, on March 19, 2007.
Description
Albula
The bonefishes' closest relatives are the tarpons and ladyfishes in the order Elopiformes. Bonefishes are unlike tarpons in that their mouths are under the snout rather than the end of it. Like tarpons and ladyfishes, bonefishes can breathe air via a modified swim bladder and are found in brackish waters. Bonefish larvae are leptocephalic.
The slender body of the bonefish is silver, with a blue to green tinted back. On the upper half of the body there are dark streaks with cross bands connecting to the lateral line. The body is rounded with a long, slightly downturned snout. The dorsal and caudal fins are black. Bonefish vary in adult length from 40–100 cm depending on species. The average size of a bonefish is from 3 to 5 pounds (1–2 kg) with the Florida record being 16 pounds 3 oz (7.34 kg).
The bonefishes are brackish or saltwater fish typically living in estuaries and travelling out to sea to spawn on a lunar cycle. They feed in the shallow sand and mud flats, on benthic organisms, such as worms, mollusks, shrimp and crabs. They use their conical-shaped snouts to root out their prey and can often be seen with their tails out of the water. Bonefishes possess crushing teeth in their palates.
Nemoossis and Pterothrissus
These genera are similar to Albula, except they can be found in deeper waters.
Taxonomy
Order Albuliformes Greenwood et al. 1966 sensu Forey et al. 1996 [Albuloidea Hay; Albuloidei; Albulina Günther 1868]
Genus †Albulelops Averjanov, Nesov & Udovichenko 1993
Genus †Albulidarum [Otolith]
Genus †Albuloideorum [Otolith]
Genus †Brannerion Jordan 1920
Genus †Cyclotomodon Cope 1876
Genus †Phosphonatator Cavin et al. 2000
Family †Phyllodontidae Sauvage 1875 corrig. Jordan 1923 [Phyllodidae Sauvage 1875; Euphyllodontinae Dartevelle & Casier 1943/1949; Pseudophyllodontidae Dartevelle & Casier 1943/1949]
Genus †Ardiodus White 1931
Subfamily †Paralbulinae Estes 1969
Genus †Baugeichthys Filleul 2000
Genus †Casierius Estes 1969
Genus †Paralbula Blake 1940
Genus †Pseudoegertonia Dartevelle & Casier 1949 [Eodiaphyodus Arambourg 1952]
Subfamily †Phyllodontinae Dartevelle & Casier 1949
Genus †Egertonia Cocchi 1866
Genus †Phyllodus Agassiz 1839
Family Albulidae Bleeker 1849
Subfamily Pterothrissinae Gill 1893
Genus †Chicolepis Cockerell 1919
Genus †Hajulia Woodward 1942
Genus †Istieus Agassiz 1844 [Histieus Agassiz 1846 ]
Genus †Pterothrissidarum Nolf & Dockery 1990 [Otolith]
Genus †Thrissipteroides
Genus Nemoossis Hidaka, Tsukamoto & Iwatsuki 2016
Genus Pterothrissus Hilgendorf 1877 [Bathythrissa Günther 1877 ]
Subfamily Albulinae Bleeker 1849 [Dixoninidi Fowler 1958; Butirinidi Rafinesque 1810]
Genus †Archaealbula Winkler 1878
Genus †Eoalbula Frizzell 1965
Genus †Coriops Estes 1969
Genus †Cycloides Winkler 1878
Genus †Eucoelogaster White & Moy-Thomas 1940 [Coelogaster Agassiz 1835 nomen nudum ; Coelogaster Eastman 1905 non Schrank 1780 non Schoenherr 1837 non Schultze 1896 ; Ptericephalina Lioy 1866 ]
Genus †Kleinpellia David 1946
Genus †Palealbula Frizzell 1965
Genus †Prealbula Frizzell 1965
Genus †Protalbula Frizzell 1965
Genus †Pteralbula Stinton 1973
Genus †Lebonichthys Forey 1973
Genus †Deltaichthys Fielitz & Bardack 1992
Genus Albula Gronow 1763 ex Scopoli 1777 non Osbeck 1765 non Bloch & Schneider 1801 non Catesby 1771 [Atopichthys Garman 1899; Butyrinus Commerson ex Lacépède 1803; Dixonina Fowler 1911; Albula (Dixonina) (Fowler 1911); Esunculus Kaup 1856; Glossodonta Cuvier 1815; Glossodus Agassiz 1828 ex Spix & Agassiz 1829 non Costa 1853 non McCoy 1848; Metalbula Frizzell 1965; Pisodus Owen 1841; Vulpis Catesby 1771; Conorynchus Nozemann 1758 ex Gill 1861 non Bleeker 1863 non Motschousky 1860]
References
Kimmeridgian first appearances
Extant Late Jurassic first appearances
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