Aulopiformes 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. The scientific name means "Aulopus-shaped", from Aulopus + the standard fish order suffix "-formes". It ultimately derives from Ancient Greek aulós + Latin forma, the former in reference to the elongated shape of many aulopiforms.
The Myctophiformes are an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of two families of deep-sea marine fish, most notably the highly abundant lanternfishes (Myctophidae). The blackchins (Neoscopelidae) contain six species in three genera, while the bulk of the family belongs to the Myctophidae, with over 30 genera and some 252 species.
Greeneyes are deep-sea aulopiform marine fishes in the small family Chlorophthalmidae. Thought to have a circumglobal distribution in tropical and temperate waters, the family contains just 18 species in two genera. The family name Chlorophthalmidae derives from the Greek words chloros meaning "green" and ophthalmos meaning "eye".
Telescopefish are small, deep-sea aulopiform fish comprising the small family Giganturidae. The two known species are within the genus Gigantura. Though rarely captured, they are found in cold, deep tropical to subtropical waters worldwide.
Barreleyes, also known as spook fish, are small deep-sea argentiniform fish comprising the family Opisthoproctidae found in tropical-to-temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Enchodus is an extinct genus of aulopiform ray-finned fish related to lancetfish and lizardfish. Species of Enchodus flourished during the Late Cretaceous, and there is some evidence that they may have survived to the Paleocene or Eocene; however, this may just represent reworked Cretaceous material.
The black swallower is a species of deep sea fish in the family Chiasmodontidae. It is known for its ability to swallow fish larger than itself.
The hammerjaw, Omosudis lowii, is a small deep-sea aulopiform fish, found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) depth. It is the only representative of its family, Omosudidae.
This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes.
The deepsea lizardfish, Bathysaurus ferox, is an aulopiform of the family Bathysauridae, found in tropical and subtropical seas across the world. The deepsea lizardfish should not be confused with the true or "typical" lizardfishes of the related family Synodontidae.
The balbo sabretooth is a sabertooth of the family Evermannellidae, found circumglobally in tropical and subtropical seas, at depths of between 100 and 1,000 m. Its length is up to 17 cm.
The inshore lizardfish is a member of the family Synodontidae found in the western Atlantic. According to the IUCN red list for endangered species, the inshore lizard fish "has most recently been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2013. Synodus foetens is listed as Least Concern".
Cimolichthys is an extinct genus of large predatory marine aulopiform ray-finned fish known worldwide from the Late Cretaceous. It is the only member of the family Cimolichthyidae.
The pearleyes are a family, Scopelarchidae, of aulopiform ray-finned fish, distinguished by their unique visual system, with two retinas in each eye.
The Aulopidae are a small family of aulopiform ray-finned fish. They are found in most tropical and subtropical oceans, and are commonly known as flagfins.
The brownsnout spookfish or brown-snout spookfish is a species of barreleye in the family Opisthoproctidae. It and the glasshead barreleye fish are the only vertebrates known to employ a mirror, in addition to a lens, to focus an image in its eyes. This species probably has a worldwide tropical and temperate distribution; in the Atlantic Ocean it is known from Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Pacific Ocean it is known from the California Current region and the South China Sea. It is found in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones at a depth of 500–2,400 meters (1,600–7,900 ft), but usually occurs below 1,000 meters. In the Gulf of Mexico it is found shallower, at 310–460 meters (1,020–1,510 ft).
Synodus intermedius, the common sand diver, is a species of fish in the lizardfish family, the Synodontidae, a basal ray-finned fish in the class Actinopterygii. Sand divers inhabit subtropical marine ecosystems, (37-17°N), including sandy- bottom areas on continental shelves, coral reefs, estuaries, bays, and reef structures. They are demersal or benthic fish, which means they live on or close to the sea bed. Distribution ranges from the northern Gulf of Mexico south to the Guianas, and western Atlantic north to North Carolina and Bermuda. They are a common lizardfish in the West Indies. They grow to about 40 cm (16 in) total length, and weigh around 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Argyropelecus affinis is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Sternoptychidae, described by Garman in 1899, found in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Common names for this fish include Pacific hatchetfish, deepsea hatchetfish and slender hatchetfish. It inhabits the upper mesopelagic zone between 350 and 600m during the day, and between 100m and 350m during the night and is either non-migratory or performs short daily vertical migrations. They are distributed widely throughout all tropical and temperate seas. They are known for its laterally compressed body and characteristic photophores, which aid in bioluminescence. Argyropelecus affinis is closely related to Argyropelecus gigas.
Coccorella atlantica is a species of sabertooth fish, found in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean. The body composition of C. atlantic differs from other species, as their eyes are semi-tubular and directed dorso-laterally. The eye diameter is about equal to the interorbital width as well.
Evermannella melanoderma, the Indian sabertooth fish, is a species of the Evermannelidae family located in tropical and subtropical waters in the Atlantic Ocean. The body composition of E. melanoderma differs from other species, as their eyes are tubular and directed dorsally and slightly anteriorally. The eye diameter is much broader than the interorbital width as well.
