Lampriformes

Some fish live deep in the ocean.

They stay well above the sea floor. Many of these fish are very bright. Some have red fins.

They can have many shapes. Some are round like a disc. Others are long like a ribbon.

One fish is the longest bony fish in the sea. It can grow very large. These fish can have tiny scales or smooth skin. They are very special animals.

Lampriformes is a group of ray-finned fishes.

These fish live in the open ocean. They stay deep in the water. Most live 100 to 1,000 meters down. Many of these fish are very bright. Some even have red fins.

These fish come in many shapes. Some are round like a disc. Scientists call these bathysomes, which means "deep-bodies." Other fish are long and thin. These are called taeniosomes, or "ribbon-bodies." The oarfish is the longest bony fish alive. It can grow to be very big.

These fish have special jaws. Their jaws can move out very far to catch food. They do not have sharp fin spines. They may have tiny scales or smooth skin. Some fish in this group are now extinct. Fossils show they lived long ago.

The name Lampriformes means "bright-shaped." This name comes from the opah fish. The opah has very bright colors. Most other fish in this group look like ribbons instead.

Lampriformes is a special group of ray-finned fishes.

These animals live in the open ocean. They usually stay well above the sea floor. Most live in water between 100 and 1,000 meters deep. This group includes many different kinds of fish. You might find the disc-shaped opah or the long ribbonfish. There are also crestfishes and oarfishes in this order. They are all very different from one another.

These fishes have many interesting ways of working. Their bodies come in two main shapes. Some are round and are called bathysomes, or "deep-bodies." Others are long and thin like ribbons. These are called taeniosomes, or "ribbon-bodies." Most of these fish are brightly colored. Many adults have brilliant crimson fins. They also have special jaws that can move forward. This helps them catch food in the deep water.

Scientists have studied these fish for a long time. The name Lampriformes comes from the Greek word for "bright." It also uses the Latin word for "form." This name was chosen because of the opah. The opah has very bright colors. The oldest known member is a fossil named Nardovelifer. This fish lived during the late Campanian epoch. This was a very long time ago.

There are many facts to know about their history. These fish split from other fishes about 80 million years ago. This happened during the Cretaceous period. Some families, like the Turkmenidae, lived a long time ago. They were opah-shaped fish that went extinct about 23 million years ago. Today, there are seven living families. These include the Veliferidae, which are sailfin moonfishes. There are about 20 different species known today.

Learning about lampriforms helps us see how life changes. The oarfish is a great example of this. It is the longest bony fish living today. It can grow to be truly huge. While most of these fish are small, the oarfish is a giant. Their bodies show how one group can have many shapes. Some are round like a coin. Others are long like a piece of string.

Lampriformes is a diverse order of ray-finned fishes found in the open ocean.

These pelagic feeders live well above the sea floor. They are typically found in waters ranging from 100 to 1,000 meters deep. The group includes several distinct families, such as the opahs and the oarfishes. While they look very different, they are united by specific anatomical features. The name Lampriformes comes from the Ancient Greek word *lamprós*, meaning bright, and the Latin *forma*, meaning external form. This name refers to the brilliant coloration seen in the opah, which is the type genus for this order.

The body shapes of lampriforms vary significantly between different types. Scientists categorize these shapes into two main groups. The first group is known as bathysomes, which means "deep-bodies" in Greek. These fish have rounded, laterally compressed bodies. The second group is called taeniosomes, meaning "ribbon-bodies." These fish have very elongated, ribbon-like shapes. Most adult lampriforms are brightly colored. Many species feature brilliant crimson fins. They may also have tiny scales or even naked skin.

The anatomy of these fishes includes several unique mechanical features. Lampriforms have between 84 and 96 total vertebrae. Their jaws are highly protrusible, meaning they can move forward to catch prey. This movement happens through a unique process involving the maxilla. Instead of being attached to the ethmoid and palatine bones by ligaments, the maxilla slides in and out with the premaxilla. Their dorsal fins are often long and extend along most of the body length. However, they lack fin spines entirely. Some members possess a physoclistous gas bladder, while others do not.

The history of the Lampriformes spans millions of years. They likely diverged from other teleosts during the Cretaceous period, perhaps over 80 million years ago. The oldest known fossil in this order is *Nardovelifer*, which dates to the late Campanian epoch. Early lampriforms were mostly bathysomes with rounded bodies. The elongated taeniosome shape is an apomorphic trait, meaning it evolved later. This ribbon-like shape appears to have evolved only once in their history. The order underwent a major radiation during the Paleocene period.

Fossil records show that different families lived and died out at different times. For example, the Turkmenidae were a family of opah-shaped fish. They thrived during the Paleocene but went extinct around the start of the Neogene, about 23 million years ago. Today, the order is much smaller. There are only 12 recognized genera and about 20 species remaining. These living species are divided into seven extant families. These families include the Veliferidae, Lampridae, Lophotidae, Radiicephalidae, Trachipteridae, and Regalecidae. Some researchers also divide the order into two suborders: Lamproidei and Trachipteroidei.

Some species in this order are much larger than others. The sailfin moonfishes of the Veliferidae family are quite small. In contrast, the oarfish, or *Regalecus glesne*, is a true giant. It is the longest of all living bony fishes. These massive creatures can reach incredible lengths in the deep ocean. This extreme difference in size shows how much the order has changed. From tiny moonfishes to massive oarfishes, the group represents a huge range of biological forms.

The scientific classification of lampriforms is still a subject of active study. They are considered part of the advanced Teleostei clade. Some scientists place them in a monotypic superorder called Lampridiomorpha. Others suggest they sit just outside the Acanthomorpha clade. Molecular data shows they are close to advanced teleosts, but the exact relationships remain uncertain. They may be the sister taxon to the Myctophiformes. Because modern taxonomy is always changing, researchers continue to investigate how these fishes fit into the larger tree of life.