The spikefishes are ray-finned fishes

Actinopterygii

The Actinopterygii or ray-finned fishes constitute a class or sub-class of the bony 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...

 related to the pufferfish

Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the Tetraodontiformes order. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called pufferfish, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab...

es and triggerfish

Triggerfish

Triggerfishes are about 40 species of often brightly colored fishes of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific...

es. They live in deep waters, below 50 metres (164 ft), but above the continental shelves

Continental shelf

The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...

. They are found in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

, and the west-central Pacific.

The spikefishes are quite variable in form, with some species having tubular snouts (greatly elongated in Halimochirurgus and Macrorhamphosodes), and others have spoon-like teeth for scraping the scales off other fishes. Depending on the exact species involved, they reach a maximum length of about 5–22 cm (2–8.7 in).

Classification

Family Triacanthodidae

• Genus Atrophacanthus – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Atrophacanthus japonicus
• Genus Bathyphylax – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Bathyphylax bombifrons
  • Bathyphylax omen
  • Bathyphylax pruvosti
• Genus Halimochirurgus – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Halimochirurgus alcocki
  • Halimochirurgus centriscoides
• Genus Hollardia – western Atlantic, western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Hollardia goslinei
  • Hollardia hollardi
  • Hollardia meadi
• Genus Johnsonina – western Atlantic
  • Johnsonina eriomma
• Genus Macrorhamphosodes – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Macrorhamphosodes platycheilus
  • Macrorhamphosodes uradoi
• Genus Mephisto – Indian Ocean
  • Mephisto fraserbrunneri
• Genus Parahollardia – western Atlantic
  • Parahollardia lineata
  • Parahollardia schmidti
• Genus Paratriacanthodes – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Paratriacanthodes abei
  • Paratriacanthodes herrei
  • Paratriacanthodes retrospinis
• Genus Triacanthodes – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Triacanthodes anomalus
  • Triacanthodes ethiops
  • Triacanthodes indicus
  • Triacanthodes intermedius
• Genus Tydemania – western Pacific and Indian Ocean
  • Tydemania navigatoris