Spinyfin

Spinyfins
Silver Spinyfin, Diretmus argenteus. from plate 45 of Oceanic Ichthyology by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean, published 1896.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Beryciformes
Suborder:	Trachichthyoidei
Family:	Diretmidae
Genera
Diretmus Diretmichthys Diretmoides

Spinyfins are a family, Diretmidae, of beryciform fishes. The name is from Greek, di meaning "two" and eretmos meaning "oar". They are found worldwide in deep waters, down to as much as 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).^[1]

As the common name implies, spinyfins have heavy spines along their fins. They have a deep, compressed body, and mouths that are almost vertically aligned. They are dark silver in colour, and reach up to 37 centimetres (15 in) in length.^[1]

Genera and species in the family Diretmidae

There are four living species in three genera:^[2] A fifth species, the extinct Absalomichthys velifer, is from the Late Miocene of Southern California.

• †Genus Absalomichthys
  • †Absalomichthys velifer Whitley 1933
• Genus Diretmus
  • Silver spinyfin, Diretmus argenteus Johnson, 1864
• Genus Diretmichthys
  • Parin's spinyfin, Diretmichthys parini (Post & Quéro, 1981)
• Genus Diretmoides
  • Longwing spinyfin, Diretmoides pauciradiatus (Woods, 1973)
  • Diretmoides veriginae Kotlyar, 1987

See also

• List of fish families

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 162-163 (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. axton, John R.. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 
2. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Diretmidae" in FishBase. January 2006 version.