Esociformes
Order of fishes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Esociformes (/ˈiːsɒsɪfɔːrmiːz/) is a small order of freshwater ray-finned fish, with two families, Umbridae and Esocidae.[1] The pikes of genus Esox give the order its name.
Esociformes | |
---|---|
Northern pike (Esox lucius) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Superorder: | Protacanthopterygii |
Order: | Esociformes Bleeker, 1859 |
Type species | |
Esox lucius | |
Families | |
Synonyms | |
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This order is closely related to the Salmoniformes, the two comprising the superorder Protacanthopterygii, and are often included in their order. The esociform fishes first appeared in the mid-Cretaceous — early products of the Euteleostei radiation of that time. They diverged from their sister group Salmoniformes about 110 million years ago, with the extant species having evolved from a common ancestor that lived about 90 million years ago.[2] Today, they are found in weed-choked freshwater habitats in North America and northern Eurasia.