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Tetraodontiformes

 
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Tetraodontiformes
 
 
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The Tetraodontiformes are an order
Order (biology)

In Biological classification used in biology, the order is a taxonomic rank between class and family . The superorder is a rank between class and order....
 of highly derived 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....
, also called the Plectognathi. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the Perciformes
Perciformes

The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, include about 40% of all bony fish and are the largest order of vertebrata....
. The Tetraodontiformes are represented by ten families
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 and approximately 360 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 overall; most are marine and dwell in and around tropical coral reef
Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
s, but a handful of species are found in freshwater streams and estuaries
Estuary

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. They have no close relatives, and descend from a line of coral
Coral

Corals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone?like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals....
-dwelling species that emerged around 40 million years ago.

ous bizarre forms are included here, all radical departures from the streamlined body plan typical of most fishes.






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The Tetraodontiformes are an order
Order (biology)

In Biological classification used in biology, the order is a taxonomic rank between class and family . The superorder is a rank between class and order....
 of highly derived 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....
, also called the Plectognathi. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the Perciformes
Perciformes

The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, include about 40% of all bony fish and are the largest order of vertebrata....
. The Tetraodontiformes are represented by ten families
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 and approximately 360 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 overall; most are marine and dwell in and around tropical coral reef
Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
s, but a handful of species are found in freshwater streams and estuaries
Estuary

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. They have no close relatives, and descend from a line of coral
Coral

Corals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone?like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals....
-dwelling species that emerged around 40 million years ago.

Physical characteristics

Various bizarre forms are included here, all radical departures from the streamlined body plan typical of most fishes. These forms range from nearly square or triangular (boxfish
Boxfish

The boxfishes are a family, Ostraciidae, of squared, Actinopterygii belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes....
es), globose (pufferfish
Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, and toadies....
es) to laterally compressed (filefish
Filefish

Filefish are tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish of the diverse family Monacanthidae. Found in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Oceans, the filefish family contains approximately 107 species in 26 genus....
es). They range in size from Rudarius excelsus, measuring just in length, to the Ocean sunfish
Ocean sunfish

File:Mondfisch_Ozenarium_Lissabon_20090228.ogvThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known Osteichthyes in the world....
, the largest of all bony fish at up to in length and weighing over 2 tonnes.

They are ostraciiforms, meaning the body is inflexible, and undulation during movement is limited to the paired and median fins. Because of this, they are slow-moving and rely on their pectoral, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins for propulsion. However, movement is usually quite precise; dorsal and anal fins aid in manoeuvring and stabilizing. In most species, all fins are simple, small, and rounded.

The tetraodontiform strategy seems to be defense at the expense of speed, with all species fortified with scales modified into strong plates or spines — the latter sometimes retractable and able to lock in place (the triggerfish
Triggerfish

Triggerfishes are brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific....
es) — or with tough, leathery skin (the filefish
Filefish

Filefish are tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish of the diverse family Monacanthidae. Found in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Oceans, the filefish family contains approximately 107 species in 26 genus....
es and ocean sunfish
Ocean sunfish

File:Mondfisch_Ozenarium_Lissabon_20090228.ogvThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known Osteichthyes in the world....
). Another striking defensive attribute found in the pufferfish
Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, and toadies....
es and porcupinefish
Porcupinefish

Porcupinefish are fish of the family Diodontidae, , also commonly called blowfish .They are sometimes confused with pufferfish....
es is the ability to inflate the body to greatly increase its normal diameter: this is accomplished by sucking water into a diverticulum
Diverticulum

A diverticulum is medicine or biology term for an outpouching of a hollow structure in the body.In medicine the term usually implies that the structure is not normally present, i.e....
 of the stomach
Stomach

In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication....
. Many species of the Tetraodontidae, Triodontidae and Diodontidae are further protected from predation by tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin

Tetrodotoxin is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote. Tetrodotoxin blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in neuron cell membrane....
, a powerful neurotoxin
Neurotoxin

A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels.Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue....
 concentrated in the animals' internal organs.

Porcupine
Tetraodontiforms have highly modified skeleton
Skeleton

In biology, a skeleton is a rigid framework that provides protection and structure in many types of animal, particularly those of the phylum Chordata and of the superphylum Ecdysozoa....
s, with no nasal
Nasal bone

The nasal bones are two small oblong bones, varying in size and form in different individuals; they are placed side by side at the middle and upper part of the face, and form, by their junction, "the bridge" of the nose....
, parietal
Parietal bone

The parietal bones are bones in the human skull and form, by their union, the sides and roof of the cranium. Each bone is irregularly quadrilateral in form, and has two surfaces, four borders, and four angles....
, infraorbital, or (usually) lower rib
Rib

In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the ribcage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest and protect the lungs, heart, and other internal Organ s of the thorax....
 bones. The bones of the jaw are modified and fused into a sort of "beak
Beak

The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which, in addition to eating, is used for Personal grooming#In animals, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, Courtship#Courtship in the animal kingdom and feeding their young....
"; there are visible sutures which divide the beaks into "teeth
Tooth

Teeth are small whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or defense....
". This is alluded to in their name, derived from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 words tetra meaning "four" and odous meaning "tooth" and the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 forma meaning "shape". Counting these teeth-like bones is a way of distinguishing similar families. For example the Tetraodontidae ("four-toothed"), Triodontidae ("three-toothed"), and Diodontidae ("two-toothed").

The jaws are aided by powerful muscles and many species also have pharyngeal
Pharynx

FunctionsThe pharynx is part of the digestive system and respiratory system of many organisms.Because both food and Earth's atmosphere pass through the pharynx, a flap of connective tissue called the epiglottis closes over the trachea when food is swallowed to prevent choking or Pulmonary aspiration....
 teeth to further process prey items. This is because Tetraodontiformes prey mostly on hard-shelled invertebrate
Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s such as crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s and shellfish
Shellfish

Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton bearing aquatic invertebrate used as food, including various species of Molluscas, crustaceans, and echinoderms....
.

The Molidae
Molidae

Molidae is the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, bizarre-looking fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal fin and anal fins, giving them a "half-a-fish" appearance....
 are conspicuous even within this oddball order: they lack swim bladders and spines, and are propelled by their very tall dorsal and anal fins. The caudal peduncle is absent and the caudal fin is reduced to a stiff rudder-like structure. Molids are pelagic
Pelagic zone

Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek language p??a??? or p?lagos, which means open sea....
 rather than reef-associated and feed on soft-bodied invertebrates, especially jellyfish
Jellyfish

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. They have several different morphologies that represent several different cnidarian classes including the Scyphozoa , Staurozoa , Cubozoa , and Hydrozoa ....
.

Families

Mola Mola
Lactophrys Polygonia
  • Aracanidae
    Aracanidae

    The Aracanidae are a family of Actinopterygii related to the boxfishes. They are somewhat more primitive than the true boxfishes, but have a similar protective covering of thickened scale plates....
  • Balistidae — triggerfish
    Triggerfish

    Triggerfishes are brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific....
    es
  • Diodontidae — porcupinefish
    Porcupinefish

    Porcupinefish are fish of the family Diodontidae, , also commonly called blowfish .They are sometimes confused with pufferfish....
    es
  • Molidae
    Molidae

    Molidae is the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, bizarre-looking fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal fin and anal fins, giving them a "half-a-fish" appearance....
     — ocean sunfish
    Ocean sunfish

    File:Mondfisch_Ozenarium_Lissabon_20090228.ogvThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known Osteichthyes in the world....
     and relatives
  • Monacanthidae — filefish
    Filefish

    Filefish are tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish of the diverse family Monacanthidae. Found in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Oceans, the filefish family contains approximately 107 species in 26 genus....
    es
  • Ostraciidae — boxfish
    Boxfish

    The boxfishes are a family, Ostraciidae, of squared, Actinopterygii belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes....
    es
  • Tetraodontidae — pufferfish
    Pufferfish

    Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, and toadies....
    es
  • Triacanthidae
    Triacanthidae

    Triacanthidae is a family of Indo-Pacific fishes. It is classified in the order Tetraodontiformes, along with the pufferfishes and the ocean sunfish....
     — triplespines
  • Triacanthodidae — spikefish
    Spikefish

    The Spikefishes are family, the Triacanthodidae of Actinopterygii related to the pufferfishes and triggerfishes. They live in deep waters, below , but above the continental shelves....
    es
  • Triodontidae — three-toothed puffer


Fossil families


  • †Bolcabalistidae
  • †Cretatriacanthidae
  • †Eoplectidae
  • †Eospinidae
  • †Moclaybalistidae
  • †Plectocretacicidae
  • †Protobalistidae
  • †Protriacanthidae
  • †Spinacanthidae