Cyprinodontiformes

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Cyprinodontiformes

The Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish

Actinopterygii

The Actinopterygii constitute the Class of the ray-finned fishes.The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess lepidotrichia or "fin rays", their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines , as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii....
, and comprising mostly small, fresh-water fish. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes

Atheriniformes

Atheriniformes, also known as the silversides, is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the Atherinidae and several less-familiar families, including the unusual Phallostethidae....
and are occasionally included with them. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish

Killifish

A killifish is any of various tiny, oviparous cyprinodontiformes . All in all there are some 1270 different species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species....
and live-bearers

Poeciliidae

Poeciliidae is a family of fresh-water fish which are livebearers . They belong to the order Cyprinodontiformes, tooth-carps, and include well-known aquarium fish like the guppy, Poecilia, Xiphophorus, and swordtail....
, belong here. A colloquial term for the order as a whole is toothcarps, though they are not actually close relatives of the true carp

Carp

Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish originally from Eurasia and southeast Asia....
s – the latter belong to the superorder Ostariophysi

Ostariophysi

Ostariophysi is the second-largest superorder of fish. Members of this superorder are called ostariophysans. This diverse group contains almost 8,000 species, about 28% of known fish species in the world and 68% of freshwater species, and are present on almost all major continents except Antarctica....
, while the toothcarps are Acanthopterygii

Acanthopterygii

Acanthopterygii is the name of a superorder of fish in the class Actinopterygii. It includes the teleost bony fishes, with characteristic sharp bony rays....
.

The families of Cyprinodontiformes can be divided into three groups: viviparous

Vivipary

A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary: the embryo develops inside the body of the mother, as opposed to outside in an Egg ....
and ovoviviparous

Ovoviviparity

Ovoviviparous, also known as oviviparous, animals develop within Egg s that remain within the mother's body up until they hatch or are about to hatch....
(all species give live birth

Live birth

A live birth occurs when a fetus, whatever its gestational age, exits the maternal body and subsequently shows any sign of life, such as voluntary muscle, heartbeat, or pulsation of the umbilical cord, for however brief a time and regardless of whether the umbilical cord or placenta are intact....
), and oviparous

Oviparity

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Encyclopedia

The Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish

Actinopterygii

Atheriniformes

Killifish

Poeciliidae

Carp

Ostariophysi

Acanthopterygii

Vivipary

A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary: the embryo develops inside the body of the mother, as opposed to outside in an Egg ....
and ovoviviparous

Ovoviviparity

Ovoviviparous, also known as oviviparous, animals develop within Egg s that remain within the mother's body up until they hatch or are about to hatch....
(all species give live birth

Live birth

Oviparity

Oviparous animals are animals that lay Egg , with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the Biological reproduction of most fish, amphibians, reptiles, all birds, the monotremes, and most insects and arachnids....
(all species egg-laying). The live-bearing groups differ in whether the young are carried to term within (ovoviviparous) or without (viviparous) an enclosing eggshell. Phylogenetically however, one of the two suborders – the Aplocheiloidei – contains oviparous species exclusively, as do two of the four superfamilies of the other suborder (the Cyprinodontoidea and Valencioidea of the Cyprinodontoidei). Vivipary and ovovivipary have evolved independently from oviparous ancestors, the latter possibly twice.

Description

Members of this order are notable for inhabiting harsh environments, such as saline

Saline water

Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of solvation salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
or very warm waters, water of poor quality, or isolated situations where no other types of fish occur. They are typically omnivore

Omnivore

Omnivores are species that eating both plants and animals as their primary food source. They are opportunistic, general feeders not specifically adapted to eat and digest either meat or plant material exclusively....
s, and often live near the surface, where the oxygen-rich water compensates for environmental disadvantages.

They are small to medium fish, with small mouths, large eyes, a single dorsal fin

Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
, and a rounded caudal fin. The largest species is the custro ojos (Anableps dowi), which measures in length, while the smallest, the least killifish (Hetrandia formosa), is just long as an adult.

Systematics

ORDER CYPRNODONTIFORMES

Suborder Aplocheiloidei (all oviparous)

Family Aplocheilidae
Aplocheilidae

Aplocheilidae are a family of bony fishes containing about 15 species. Formerly, the name "Aplocheilidae" was used for the Aplocheiloidei as a whole, i.e....
– South Asian killifishes
Family Nothobranchiidae
Nothobranchiidae

Nothobranchiidae are a Family of Osteichthyeses containing roughly 300 species. They are small killifish, usually measuring about 5 centimeters in length....
– African killifishes, formerly in Aplocheilidae
Family Rivulidae
Rivulidae

Rivulidae are a family of killifishes in the order Cyprinodontiformes. They are commonly known as rivulids, South American killifish or New World killifish....
– rivulids or South American killifishes

Suborder Cyprinodontoidei

Superfamily Funduloidea – topminnows and North American killifishes (oviparous)

Family Profundulidae – Central American killifishes (oviparous)
Family Goodeidae
Goodeidae

Splitfins, are a family, Goodeidae, of teleost fish endemic to Mexico and some areas of the United States. This family contains 40 species within 18 Genus....
– splitfins (viviparous)
Family Fundulidae
Fundulidae

Fundulidae is the family of topminnows and killifishes. The 46 species are native to North America as far south as Yucatan, and to the islands of Bermuda and Cuba, occurring in both freshwater and marine environments....
– (oviparous)
** Superfamily Valencioidea (oviparous)
Family Valenciidae – Mediterranean killifishes

Superfamily Cyprinodontoidea (oviparous)

Family Cyprinodontidae – pupfishes

Superfamily Poecilioidea

Family Anablepidae
Anablepidae

Anablepidae is a family of freshwater and brackish water fishes living on river estuaries from southern Mexico to southern South America. There are three genus with sixteen species: the four-eyed fishes , the onesided livebearers and the white-eye , Oxyzygonectes dovii....
– four-eyed fishes and relatives (ovoviviparous)
Family Poeciliidae
Poeciliidae

Poeciliidae is a family of fresh-water fish which are livebearers . They belong to the order Cyprinodontiformes, tooth-carps, and include well-known aquarium fish like the guppy, Poecilia, Xiphophorus, and swordtail....
– livebearers and relatives (some oviparous, some ovoviviparous)