Actinopterygii

Actinopterygii is one of the two factions that define Osteichtyes, the other being the Sarcopterygii.This faction is also known as ray-finned fishes, because their fins are supported by bone, instead of flesh in the Sarcopterygii. It includes most of the Fish builds people can recognize, including Sturgeons, Salmon, Oarfishes, Piranhas and Bass. It has 3 further subdivision, the Chondrosteans, the Holosteans and the Teleosts.

## History

### Part 1:The Chondrosteans (and Palaeonisciformes)

Ray-finned fishes were first playable as a class in the Late Siluran, as Andreolepis, which belonged to a Faction called the Palaeonisciformes. They specced into various playstyles, most notably the builds similar to builds like Tuna, except that they lived in freshwater. Along with them is Tarrasius, a build that borrowed the spinal column design from the tetrapods. Mesozoic Chondrosteans include builds like Birgeria and Sauricthys. The current Chondrostean mains emerged during the Cretacous. One of those builds was the Bawitius build, a build playable in the Kem Kem lobby. Playable builds include the Bichirs, who are all playable in the African servers and are commonly kept as support classes, Sturgeons, who are the largest freshwater fish mains in the current meta, and the Paddlefishes, which recently lost a build in 2020.

### Part 2:The Holosteans

Holosteans are a megaFaction which first emerged in the Late Permian Expansion. While Palaeonisciformes is the original name for the megaFaction of the Chondrosteans, they first entered the meta under the name "Seminodontiformes". They used to be the ones with the advantage in the Triassic and Jurassic expansions, of which in the latter expansion, they took their present name. Their playerbase was screwed up during the Middle Jurassic by builds like Leedsichthys. Their situation got even worse in The Cretacous Expansion, with the arrival of the Tselfatiformes, Icthyodectids and the Lancetfishes. The few survivors, like Lepidotus, decide to respec into the builds we know today. Only 8 Holostean builds (Gars and Bowfin) are playable in the current meta, all in freshwater servers of North America.

### Part 3:The Teleosts

Teleosts first debutted during The Triassic Expansion under the name "Pholidophoriformes". At first, they were at a disadvantage against the existing Holosteans previously mentioned. That is, untill the Jurassic expansion, when they could already compete neck and neck with the better Pachycormid builds. In the Cretacous, however, they gradually began to outcompete the Holosteans with builds like Lancetfishes (mid-tier predator builds related to Pikes and Salmon) and Icthyodectids (builds which are formerly related to Bonytongues, but has since been reassigned as a quasi-teleost Faction). They owe their success to 1) Their special skill tree for their jaws , which grants a new ability known as [Jaw Pucker], which allows their [Swallow] move to be a temporary magnet. 2)The [Genome Duplication] perk, which doubles Evolution Point gain, for a total of 8×, throughout the entire meta, and 3) Homocercal tails, which increased their Mobility. They also specced into a [Swim Bladder]. In the current meta, this megaFaction dominates the aquatic meta, with several builds opting to specc away from the classic Teleost plans. Electric Eels and Catfish respecced into Electro-Reception after the Neopterygii subclass lost it. Some builds, like the Clown Knifefish, decide to specc into a tail different from most Teleost builds. Some builds also have other gimmicks, like Mudskippers and Snakeheads, which copied the strategy also used by Lungfish. Builds like Arapaima also appeared, speccing into armor on par with the Placoderms.

## Notable Builds

Huso (S)- A macropredatory Sturgeon build, known as the largest freshwater builds in the game.

Billfish (S)- A marine Fish build that can hunt in packs.

Wels Catfish (S)- A heavyweight Catfish that has spread to other servers and even play in the Chernobyl.

Alligator Gar (A)- A build that speccs into poisonous eggs and tough armor.

Nile Perch (A)- A tanky Nile River build that can be invasive.

Electric Eel (A)- An Amazon River build known for its electric AOE attacks.

Stargazer (A)- A Glass Cannon build that speccs into a lot of offensive and defensive abilities.

Pike (A)- An elongated ambush predatory build.

Tuna (B)- A mesothermic Fish build with a high Mobility stat.

Humphead Wrasse (B)- This reef build is pretty good at crumbling down at defensive builds.

Barramundi (B)- A smaller version of the Nile Perch that specs into a euryhaline playstyle.

Cleaner Wrasse (B)- A support class build specialized in removing parasites.

Bass (B)- A freshwater sunfish build that has invaded many servers.

Bichir (C)- A prehistoric Chondrostean often kept as a support class.

Archerfish (C)- The only Fish with a true projectile attack.

Salmon (D)+ An anadromous Fish build often griefed during spawning events.

Flying Fish (D) A build with an easily predictable ability.

Baitfish (D) A great source of EXP for many builds.

Goldfish (D)- An aquarium build that has also become invasive.

Ocean Sunfish (F)- A Stone wall that can grief Jellyfish spawns without any problem.

Seahorse (F)- A janky build with no fins.

## Gallery

The Nile Perch build as it appears in River Monsters.The Arapaima's base stats.The current stats for Ocean SunfishA wide selection of Teleost builds.Various types of Holosteans.An assortment of Tuna builds.The current stats for Alligator Gar.The official stats for the Electric Eel.The base stats for the Stargazer.A certain Grouper player next to a Human diver.User:Andikito123's drawing of the Actinopterygii faction!
## References

1. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/bony-fish
2. ↑ https://untamedscience.com/class/actinopterygii/
3. ↑ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/obl4he/vertebratediversity/lobefinned\_fishes.html
4. ↑ https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Actinopterygii
5. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/teleost
6. ↑ https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=0D3ucZP97e4C&q=%22Andreolepis+(Actinopterygii)+in+the+upper+Silurian+of+northern+Eurasia%22&pg=PA174&redir\_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Andreolepis%20(Actinopterygii)%20in%20the%20upper%20Silurian%20of%20northern%20Eurasia%22&f=false
7. ↑ https://fossil.fandom.com/wiki/Palaeonisciformes
8. ↑ https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/527125
9. ↑ https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=gpmLDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&lpg=PT67&dq=birgeria+chondrostean&source=bl&ots=\_uyGV4kMTY&sig=ACfU3U3M5uOCdQN3NAFaBZYJI-IAc4xy-Q&hl=xx-bork&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjcnYrF5pHyAhVICd4KHRCsDaQQ6AF6BAgiEAI#v=onepage&q=birgeria%20chondrostean&f=false
10. ↑ https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/internal-cranial-anatomy-of-early-triassic-species-of-saurichthys-actinopterygii-saurichthyiformes-implications-for-the-phylogenetic-placement-of-saurichthyiforms(bb877165-4f7f-46c3-99c9-9b0086944a3c).html
11. ↑ http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.470.483.472
12. ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/41407704
13. ↑ https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/bichir/
14. ↑ https://www.livescience.com/biggest-freshwater-fish.html
15. ↑ https://phys.org/news/2020-01-chinese-paddlefish-declared-extinct.html
16. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/holostean
17. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161005163304.htm
18. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5817399/
19. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5068283/
20. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/fish/Actinopterygii-ray-finned-fishes
21. ↑ https://www.geologypage.com/2016/10/todays-successful-fish-werent-always-evolutionary-standouts.html
22. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/protacanthopterygian/Evolution-and-classification
23. ↑ https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/137/1/1/2624182
24. ↑ https://blog.hmns.org/2010/05/jurassic-puckering-kissing-fish-and-salt-water-evolution/
25. ↑ https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2148-9-194
26. ↑ https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2148-9-194
27. ↑ https://asknature.org/strategy/swim-bladder-helps-maintain-buoyancy/
28. ↑ https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/snakehead-fish.htm
29. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590238519302292