Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising mostly small, freshwater fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and live-bearers, are included. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes and are occasionally included with them. A colloquial term for the order as a whole is toothcarps, though they are not actually close relatives of the true carps – the latter belong to the superorder Ostariophysi, while the toothcarps are Acanthopterygii.
The sheltopusik, also commonly called Pallas's glass lizard, the European legless lizard, or the European glass lizard, is a species of large glass lizard found from Southern Europe to Central Asia.
The Spanish toothcarp, also known as the Spanish toothcarp or Iberian killifish, is a small, endemic species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. Its risk of extinction is one of the greatest of any Iberian vertebrate. Its limited range, coupled with the drastic population decline the species has suffered in the last two decades, has caused it to be placed on endangered species lists, both in Spain and internationally. In addition, habitat fragmentation, likely due to humans, has resulted in this species becoming increasingly stagnant and has led to increased genetic drift. Also found to be contributing to their endangerment was genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA. The mitochondrial DNA coupled with A. iberus’s geographic distribution has been able to affect their population genetic structure gradually in different spaces. Its conservation status in the south of the Iberian peninsula has notably worsened.
The schoolmaster snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Like other snapper species, it is a popular food fish.
The San Marcos gambusia is a likely extinct species of Gambusia from the family Poeciliidae that was found only in the San Marcos Springs of Central Texas. The fish has not been seen since 1983.
Anatolichthys anatoliae, the Anatolian giant killifish or Lake Tuz toothcarp, is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to Turkey. It is known from freshwater springs and streams around Lake Tuz, as well as from the Lake Beyşehir basin and from Konya eastward to Niğde. It lives in clear, well-oxygenated running freshwaters. It is threatened by water abstraction and the drying out of streams and springs. It is also impacted by the introduction of Gambusia species.
The Mediterranean killifish, Mediterranean banded killifish or South European toothcarp is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is found in Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. Its natural habitats are saline lakes, saline marshes, and coastal saline lagoons.
Aphaniops sirhani, the Azraq toothcarp, is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Azraq Wetland Reserve in Jordan. This species occurs in shallow water where there is vegetation and stones, or over muddy substrates where it feeds on insect larvae and crustaceans. They breed in the Spring.
Anatolichthys sureyanus, the Burdur toothcarp or Sureyan killifish, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Aphaniidae.
Anatolichthys transgrediens, the Acı Göl toothcarp or Acipinar killifish, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the springs of Lake Acıgöl in Turkey. It is threatened by a reduction in rainfall from climate change, and the abstraction of water from the springs. The introduction of the non-native eastern mosquitofish also threatens this species.
The scaleless killifish or Hazar toothcarp is a species of freshwater fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is the only species in its genus, and is endemic to Lake Hazar in Turkey. It is a pelagic species that comes to shore in spring–early summer to spawn. It is threatened by the falling water levels of Lake Hazar due to water abstraction and reduced rainfall due to climate change.
The pike topminnow, more commonly known as pike killifish and sometimes referred to as topminnow, is a species of poeciliid found from Mexico to Nicaragua. It has also been introduced to Florida, USA. It is the only known member of its genus. The pike topminnow was described in 1860 by Austrian ichthyologist Rudolf Kner, who gave the type locality as Belize, which is reflected in this species' specific name.
Anatolichthys danfordii, the Kızılırmak toothcarp or Sultan Sazlığı toothcarp, is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Kızılırmak River and the upper Seyhan River drainage systems and is now restricted to a few locations in the Sultan Sazlığı marshes. Though little data is available, the population of the fish seems to be declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "critically endangered" and fears it may become extinct in the wild if the drainage of the marshes continues.
The Arabian toothcarp, known also as the Arabian toothcarp or mother-of-Pearl fish is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It can be found from the shores of the Red Sea south to Ethiopia, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and along the Persian Gulf east to Pakistan and India. It is also found in the Suez Canal, the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, and in one location on the Palestinian coast. The former recognized subspecies: A. d. richardsoni, the Dead Sea toothcarp endemic to the Dead Sea has now been raised to a full species as Aphaniops richardsoni.
The Dead Sea toothcarp is a species of toothcarp in the family Aphaniidae that is endemic to the Dead Sea basin. It is threatened by water fluctuation, and the introduction of cichlids and Gambusia. The specific name of this fish honours the Scottish surgeon and naturalist John Richardson (naturalist) (1787-1865) who first reported killifish in the Dead Sea basin. The Dead Sea toothcarp has been on the Red List of the International Union for Conversation of Nature since 2006.
The iridescent toothcarp or pearl-spotted killifish(Paraphanius mento) is a species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae. It can be found in Western Asia. It occurs in a wide range of freshwater habitats. It grows to 5 cm (2.0 in) total length. This species was described in 1843 as Lebias mento by Johann Jakob Heckel with the type locality given as Mosul in Iraq. The acanthocephalan parasite Triaspiron aphanii was found to infest 90% of a sample of Iridescent toothcarp.
The Almiri toothcarp or Almiri killifish is a species of pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It can be found in a handful of brackish springs and marshes in the Peloponnese, Greece. Due to one of the springs being dammed up with rocks in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the IUCN considers the fish to be critically endangered on criteria B1ab and B2ab ; it is possibly extinct at its type locality.
The Lake Afdera killifish is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is found in Lake Afdera in Ethiopia. The species was evaluated by the IUCN on 1 May 2009 and listed as endangered on the Red List.
Apricaphanius saourensis, the Sahara aphanius or Sahara killifish, is a species of freshwater pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Oued Saoura river basin in Algeria. The species is threatened by water pollution and water withdrawal for agricultural use. It was last observed in the wild in 2003. Later surveys have not encountered the species, although a captive population exists; it was last evaluated by the IUCN 2021 and listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild.
Aphaniidae, the Oriental killifishes, are a family of the order Cyprinodontiformes. The 42 extant species of the family inhabit inland waters, rivers and lagoons. The distribution of these species extends from the entire Mediterranean region throughout the neighboring states of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Several species in this family have very small distributions and are seriously threatened.
