Prehistoric Models: Ray-Finned Fish
Osteichthyes meaning “bony fish” are a diverse taxonomic group fish that have skeletons composed of bone instead of cartilage. There are two groups Actinopterygii more commonly known as “ray-finned fish”; including tuna, salmon, goldfish, etc… The other group are Sarcopterygii more commonly known as “lobe-finned fish”; including lungfish and coelacanths.
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Pachycormiformes – Family: Pachycormidae
(pachycormidae)
Early Jurassic (Toarcian) to Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
Name: Leedsichthys “Leed’s fish”
Species: L. problematicus (type)
Pronounced: Leeds-ick-th-iss
Named By: Arthur Smith Woodward – 1889
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Pachycormiformes – Family: Pachycormidae
Diet: Filter feeder
Size: 16 meters long
Known locations: England, France, Germany, Chile
Time period: Jurassic (Callovian to Tithonian)
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Subclass: Chondrostei – Order: Acipenseriformes
(sturgeons and paddlefish)
Early Jurassic to Holocene
Genus and species: Acipenser fulvescens
Common name: Lake Sturgeon
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Acipenseriformes – Family: Acipenseridae
Range: Great Lakes, North America
Time: Pleistocene to Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Infraclass: Teleostei – Order: Ichthyodectiformes
(stem-teleost ray-finned fish)
Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous
Name: Xiphactinus “Sword Ray”
Pronounced: Zif-ack-tih-nus
Species: X. audax, X. vetus
Named By: Joseph Leidy - 1870
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Ichthyodectiformes – Family: Ichthyodectidae – Subfamily: Ichthyodectinae
Type: Carnivore/Piscivore
Size: 4 to 6 meters long
Known locations: USA; Alabama, Georgia, Kansas. Europe; Australia. Canada
Time period: Cretaceous (Coniacian to Maastrichtian)
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Clade: Percomorpha – Order: Tetraodontiformes
(plectognathi)
Late Cretaceous to Holocene
Genus and species: Dichotomyctere fluviatilis
Common name: Green pufferfish
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Tetraodontiformes – Suborder: Tetraodontoidei – Family: Tetraodontidae
Range: South and Southeast Asia
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Clade: Percomorpha – Order: Perciformes
(percomorpha or acanthopteri)
Late Cretaceous to Holocene
Genus and species: Perca flavescens
Common name: Yellow Perch
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Perciformes – Family: Percidae
Range: North America
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Genus and species: Amphiprion ocellaris
Common name: Ocellaris clownfish
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Perciformes – Family: Pomacentridae
Range: Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Genus and species: Centropyge loricula
Common name: Flame angelfish
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Perciformes – Family: Pomacanhidae
Range: Pacific Ocean ropical waters
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – (unranked): Acanthomorpha – Superorder: Acanthopterygii – Clade: Percomorpha – Order: Syngnathiformes
(sea horses)
Late Cretaceous to Holocene
Genus and species: Hippocampus heptagonus
Common name: Seahorse
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Syngnathiformes – Family: Syngnathidae – Subfamily: Hippocampinae
Range: Global
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Genus and species: Hippocampus heptagonus
Common name: Seahorse
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Syngnathiformes – Family: Syngnathidae – Subfamily: Hippocampinae
Range: Global
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Genus and species: Hippocampus heptagonus
Common name: Seahorse
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Syngnathiformes – Family: Syngnathidae – Subfamily: Hippocampinae
Range: Global
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Clade: Percomorpha – Order: Scombriformes – Family: Scombridae – Subfamily: Scombrinae – Tribe: Thunnini
(tuna)
Early Eocene to Holocene
Genus, species, and subspecies: Thunnus thunnus thynnus
Common name: Atlantic bluefun tuna or northern bluefin tuna
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Scombriformes – Family: Scombridae
Range: Western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, and formerly Black Sea
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Superorder: Acanthopterygii – Order: Scorpaenifomes
(scleroparei)
Early Eocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Pterois volitans
Common name: Lionfish, firefish, turkeyfish, butterfly-cod, or tastyfish
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Scorpaeniformes – Family: Scorpaenidae – Tribe: Pteroini
Range: Indo-Pacific
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Domain: Eukaryota – Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Clade: Percomorpha – Order: Acanthuriformes – Family: Acanthuridae
(surgeonfish)
Eocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Paracanthurus hepatus
Common name: Blue tang, Regal tang, Palette surgeonfish
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Acanthuriformes – Family: Acanthuridae – Subfamily: Acanthurinae
Range: Indo Pacific: Great Barrier Reef of Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, East Africa, Samoa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Clade: Teleostomi – Superclass: Osteichthyes – Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Anguilliformes – Suborder: Muraenoidei – Family: Muraenidae
(moray eels)
Late Miocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Enchelycore schismatrhynchus
Common name: White-margined moral, brown moral eel, or funnel-nostril moray
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Angulliformes – Suborder: Muraenoidei – Family: Muraenidae
Range: Coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
Genus and species: Gymnomuraena zebra
Common name: Zebra moral
Classification: Class: Actinopterygii – Order: Angulliformes Suborder: Muraenoidei – Family: Muraenidae – Subfamily: Muraeninae
Range: Western coast of Americas, Indo-Pacific, eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea, Galapagos, and Hawaii
Time: Holocene
Diet: Carnivore
