Centrarchiformes Explained

Centrarchiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, previously included amongst the perciformes.^[1] This order first appeared about 55.8 million years ago in the Eocene Era, and is composed primarily of omnivores. The order has a wide range that includes the continents of Australia and South America.^{[2] [3]} Many centrarchiforms look essentially perch-like, featuring a stocky build and a spine-bearing dorsal fin, and range in size from 2.5 cm in length (for Elassoma gilberti), to 1.8 meters for the Maccullochella peelii.^[4] The order Centrachiformes is not recognized in the 5th Edition (2016) of Fishes of the World,^[5] but is accepted on the World Register of Marine Species in November 2023^[1] and Fishbase.^[6]

Taxonomy

Centrarchiformes includes the following subgroups:^[7]

• Percalatoidei
  • Percalates
• Terapontoidei
  • Caesioscorpididae Parenti & Randall, 2020
  • Dichistiidae Smith, 1935
  • Girellidae Gill, 1862
  • Kuhliidae Jordan & Evermann, 1896
  • Kyphosidae Jordan, 1887
  • Microcanthidae Bleeker, 1876
  • Oplegnathidae Bleeker, 1853
  • Scorpididae Günther, 1860
  • Terapontidae Richardson, 1842
• Cirrhitoidei
  • Aplodactylidae Günther, 1859
  • Cheilodactylidae Bonaparte, 1850
  • Chironemidae Gill, 1862
  • Cirrhitidae Macleay, 1841
  • Latridae Gill, 1862
• Centrarchoidei
  • Centrarchidae Bleeker, 1859
  • Elassomatidae Jordan, 1877
  • Enoplosidae Gill, 1893
  • Parascorpididae Smith, 1949
  • Percichthyidae Jordan & Eigenmann, 1890
  • Perciliidae Jordan, 1923
  • Sinipercidae Jordan & Richardson, 1910

Cladogram from Near & Thacker, 2024:^[8]

Notes and References

1. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2023). FishBase. Centrarchiformes. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1517557 on 2023-11-12
2. 10.1016/j.gene.2014.07.033 . 25026502 . Mitogenomic phylogeny of the Percichthyidae and Centrarchiformes (Percomorphaceae): Comparison with recent nuclear gene-based studies and simultaneous analysis . Gene . 549 . 1 . 46–57 . 2014 . Lavoué . Sébastien . Nakayama . Kouji . Jerry . Dean R. . Yamanoue . Yusuke . Yagishita . Naoki . Suzuki . Nobuaki . Nishida . Mutsumi . Miya . Masaki .
3. Web site: Centrarchiformes - Encyclopedia of Life. eol.org. 2019-03-05.
4. 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.06.009 . 19540351 . Mitogenomic evaluation of the unique facial nerve pattern as a phylogenetic marker within the percifom fishes (Teleostei: Percomorpha) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 53 . 1 . 258–266 . 2009 . Yagishita . Naoki . Miya . Masaki . Yamanoue . Yusuke . Shirai . Shigeru M. . Nakayama . Kouji . Suzuki . Nobuaki . Satoh . Takashi P. . Mabuchi . Kohji . Nishida . Mutsumi . Nakabo . Tetsuji .
5. Book: Fishes of the World . 5th . J. S. Nelson . T. C. Grande . M. V. H. Wilson . 2016 . 459 . Wiley . 978-1-118-34233-6 . 2021-07-24 . 2019-04-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ . dead .
6. Centrarchiformes. 7 October 2024. cs2.
7. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification - California Academy of Sciences . www.calacademy.org . 14 November 2024 . en.
8. Near . T. J. . Thacker . C. E. . Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii) . Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History . 2024 . 65 . 1 . 10.3374/014.065.0101.