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Saccopharyngiformes

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Osteichthyes
Classis: Actinopterygii
Subclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Superordo: Elopomorpha
Ordo: Saccopharyngiformes
Familia: Cyematidae - Saccopharyngidae - Eurypharyngidae - Monognathidae

Vernacular name

English: gulper eel
日本語: フウセンウナギ目

References

* FishBase link : ordo Saccopharyngiformes (Mirror site)

Saccopharyngiformes is an order of unusual ray-finned fish superficially similar to eels, but with many internal differences. Most of the fish in this order are deep-sea types known from only a handful of specimens such as the Umbrella Mouth Gulper Eel. Saccopharyngiformes are also bioluminescent in several species. Some, such as the swallowers, can live as deep as 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in the ocean, well into the aphotic zone.

Saccopharyngiforms lack several bones, such as the symplectic bone, the bones of the opercle, and ribs. They also have no scales, pelvic fins, or swim bladder. The jaws are quite large, and several types are notable for being able to consume fish larger than themselves. Their myomeres (muscle segments) are V-shaped instead of W-shaped like in all other fish, and their lateral line has no pores, instead it is modified to groups of elevated tubules.

Classification

There are four families in two suborders in the order:

* Suborder Cyematoidei
o Cyematidae (bobtail snipe eels)
* Suborder Saccopharyngoidei
o Eurypharyngidae (pelican eel)
o Monognathidae
o Saccopharyngidae (swallowers, gulpers or gulper eels)


Diet

The gulper eel eats fish, copepods, shrimp, and plankton. It uses its mouth like a net by opening its large mouth and swimming at its prey. Due to the gulper eel's specialised body shape, it is a poor swimmer and relies on the luminescent organ at the tip of its tail to attract prey.

External links

* Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Saccopharyngiformes" in FishBase. January 2006 version.bonefish
* Enchanted Learning Gulper Eel Copyright 1999 - 2006
* The Sea - Gulper Eel J.D. Knight, Copyright 1998
* Small fish takes big bite - Caymanian Compass, 9 October 2007

Biology Encyclopedia

Fish Images

Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License