Acanthopterygii is a superorder of bony fishes in the class Actinopterygii. Members of this superorder are sometimes called ray-finned fishes for the characteristic sharp, bony rays in their fins; however, this name is often given to the class Actinopterygii as a whole.
The suborder includes the berycids and their allies, but by far the largest member of the group is the Percomorpha, the most diverse vertebrate clade.
Taxonomy
The following taxonomy is based on ECoF (2025), with subseries based on earlier studies:
Series Berycida Order Trachichthyiformes, including pineconefishes, slimeheads & fangtooths Order Beryciformes Suborder Holocentroidei, squirrelfish & soldierfish Suborder Berycoidei, alfonsinos & berycids Suborder Stephanoberycoidei, pricklefishes, whalefishes & gibberfishes Series Percomorpha Subseries Ophidiida Order Ophidiiformes, including cusk-eels, brotulas & pearlfishes Subseries Batrachoidida Order Batrachoidiformes, toadfishes Subseries Gobiida Order Kurtiformes, nurseryfishes & cardinalfishes Order Gobiiformes, gobies, sleepers & allies Subseries Pelagiaria Order Scombriformes, mackerels, tuna, bluefishes, ragfishes, pomfrets, cutlassfish, swallowers, medusafish, & allies Subseries Syngnatharia Order Syngnathiformes, seahorses, pipefishes, trumpetfishes, goatfishes, gurnards, seamoths & allies Subseries Anabantaria Order Anabantiformes, including labyrinth fishes, snakeheads & badids Order Synbranchiformes, including the swamp eels Subseries Carangaria Order Carangiformes, including jacks, flatfish, barracudas, billfish, & allies Subseries Ovalentaria Order Atheriniformes, including silversides and rainbowfishes Order Beloniformes, including the flyingfishes, ricefish, needlefishes & halfbeaks Order Cyprinodontiformes, including livebearers, killifishes, rivulines & pupfishes Order Cichliformes, cichlids, leaffishes & convict blenny Order Mugiliformes, mullets & Asiatic glassfish Order Blenniiformes, including blennies, clingfishes, dottybacks, jawfishes, damselfishes & anemonefishes Subseries Eupercaria Order Perciformes, including groupers, perches, darters, notothens, flatheads, searobins, scorpionfish, sculpins, sticklebacks, eelpouts & allies Order Centrarchiformes, including temperate perch, knifejaws, sea chubs, freshwater sunfish, hawkfishes & allies Order Labriformes, including wrasses, sandlances, stargazers & allies Order Acropomatiformes, including lanternbellies, gnomefishes, wreckfishes, banjofish, oceanic basslets, armorheads & allies Order Acanthuriformes, including surgeonfishes, butterflyfishes, rabbitfishes, marine angelfishes, drumfish, grunts, ponyfishes, mojarras, snappers, temperate basses, spadefishes, porgies, scats, bigeyes, boarfishes & allies Order Lophiiformes, anglerfishes Order Tetraodontiformes, including the filefishes, pufferfishes, porcupinefishes, triggerfishes, boxfishes, and ocean sunfish
Phylogeny The cladogram is based on Near et al., 2012 and Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2016.
References
Sources Acanthopterygii at thefreedictionary.com
External links Tree of Life: Acanthopterygii