Acanthuriformes Last updated September 12, 2025 Order of fishes
Acanthuriformes is a large, diverse order of mostly marine ray-finned fishes , part of the Percomorpha clade . In the past, members of this clade were placed in the suborders Acanthuroidea and Percoidea of the order Perciformes , but this treatment is now considered paraphyletic .
This order contains many of the iconic tropical reef fish groups, such as surgeonfish , marine angelfish , butterflyfish , rabbitfish , grunts , and snappers . It also contains widespread, economically important food and sport fishes, such as drums , temperate basses , and porgies . [ 4] The only pelagic member of the group is the louvar . [ 5]
Classification The following classification is based on Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (2025): [ 4] [ 6]
Order Acanthuriformes Suborder Moronoidei Suborder Sciaenoidei Suborder Chaetodontoidei Suborder Acanthuroidei Suborder Sparoidei Family Sillaginidae Richardson , 1846 (sillagos) Family Lobotidae Gill , 1861 (tripletails and tigerperches) Family Callanthiidae Ogilby , 1899 (splendid perches) Family Nemipteridae Regan , 1913 (threadfin breams and spinycheeks) Family Lethrinidae Bonaparte , 1831 (emperor snappers) Family Lutjanidae Gill , 1861 (snappers) Family Sparidae Rafinesque , 1818 (porgys and seabreams) Family Cepolidae Rafinesque , 1815 (bandfishes) Family Priacanthidae Günther , 1859 (bigeyes) Family Caproidae Bonaparte , 1835 (boarfishes) Family Antigoniidae Jordan & Evermann , 1898 (deepwater boarfishes) Infraorder Lophiales (anglerfish) Parvorder Lophioideo Family Lophiidae Rafinesque, 1810 (Monkfishes and goosefishes) Parvorder Antennarioideo Family Brachionichthyidae Gill, 1863 (handfishes) Family Rhycheridae Hart, Arnold, Alda, Kenaley, Pietsch, Hutchinson & Chakrabarty, 2022 (Balrog frogfishes) Family Antennariidae Jarocki 1822 (Fibonacci frogfishes) Family Histiophrynidae Arnold & Pietsch 2012 (starfingered frogfishes) Family Tathicarpidae Hart, Arnold, Alda, Kenaley, Pietsch, Hutchinson & Chakrabarty 2022 (longfin frogfishes) Family Tetrabrachiidae Regan 1912 (tetrabrachiid frogfishes) Family Lophichthyidae Boeseman 1964 (lophichthyid frogfishes) Parvorder Ogcocephaloideo Parvorder Chaunacoideo Parvorder Ceratioideo Family Centrophrynidae Bertelsen, 1951 (Prickly seadevils) Family Ceratiidae Gill, 1861 (Warty seadevils) Family Himantolophidae Gill, 1861 (Footballfishes) Family Diceratiidae Regan & Trewavas, 1932 (Double anglers) Family Melanocetidae Gill, 1878 (Black seadevils) Family Thaumatichthyidae Smith & Radcliffe, 1912 (Wolftrap anglers) Family Oneirodidae Gill, 1878 (Dreamers) Family Caulophrynidae Goode & Bean, 1896 (Fanfins) Family Linophrynidae Regan, 1925 (Leftvents) Family Neoceratiidae Regan, 1926 (Spiny seadevils) Family Gigantactinidae Boulenger, 1904 (Whipnose anglers) Infraorder Tetraodontales In the past, the rovers and drums were included within the suborder Sciaenoidei within the Acanthuriformes. However, this placement causes the group to be paraphyletic. Some authors have resolved this by placing the two families included in that suborder as incertae sedis in the Eupercaria , [ 7] but others have resolved this by placing even more families within the order, the latter of which is followed by the Catalog of Fishes. [ 6]
Some authors also lump the Lophiiformes and Tetraodontiformes within this group as the suborders Lophioidei and Tetraodontoidei. However, they are presently retained as distinct orders by taxonomic authorities. [ 8]
Fossil taxa The following extinct groups are also known: [ 9]
References ↑ "Taxon: Order Acanthuriformes Jordan, 1923" . The Taxonomicon . Retrieved 24 December 2020 . ↑ ↑ 1 2 Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION" . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 2025-02-10 . ↑ Arostegui, Martin C.; Shero, Michelle R.; Frank, Lawrence R.; Berquist, Rachel M.; Braun, Camrin D. (2023). "An enigmatic pelagic fish with internalized red muscle: A future regional endotherm or forever an ectotherm?" . Journal of Fish Biology . 102 (6): 1311– 1326. doi :10.1111/jfb.15375 . ISSN 1095-8649 . 1 2 J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World ed.). Wiley. pp. 497– 502. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6 the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-12-24 . ↑ Ricardo Betancur-R; Edward O. Wiley; Gloria Arratia; et al. (2017). "Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes" . BMC Evolutionary Biology . 17 (162). Bibcode :2017BMCEE..17..162B . doi : 10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3 . PMC 5501477 . ↑ Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)" . Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History . 65 (1). doi :10.3374/014.065.0101 . ISSN 0079-032X . ↑ Laan, Richard van der (2018-10-11). "Family-group names of fossil fishes" . European Journal of Taxonomy (466). doi :10.5852/ejt.2018.466 . ISSN 2118-9773 .
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