Bonefish

Classification

Chordata › Actinopterygii › Albuliformes › Albulidae

1. Kingdom Animalia animals
   • Many-celled organisms that eat other living things for energy (heterotrophs)
   • Cells have no cell walls
   • Most can move at some stage of life
2. Clade Bilateria bilateral animals
   • Body has a left and right side that mirror each other (bilateral symmetry)
   • Head end with concentrated nerves; three tissue layers
   • Includes about 99% of all living animal species
3. Clade Deuterostomia deuterostomes
   • In the embryo, the first opening becomes the anus and the mouth forms second
   • Includes echinoderms and chordates
4. Phylum Chordata chordates
   • At some stage of life: a stiffening rod along the back (notochord)
   • A hollow nerve cord along the back (dorsal)
   • Slits in the throat (pharyngeal slits) and a tail past the anus
5. Subphylum Vertebrata vertebrates
   • A skull (cranium) protecting a brain
   • Backbone or similar support around the nerve cord
   • Includes fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
6. Infraphylum Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates
   • Jawed vertebrates: jaws formed from gill arches
   • Paired fins or limbs
   • Includes all fishes except hagfish and lampreys, plus all tetrapods
7. Superclass Osteichthyes bony vertebrates
   • Bony vertebrates: skeleton made largely of bone
   • Most have a lung or swim bladder
   • Includes ray-finned and lobe-finned fishes and all tetrapods
8. Class Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes
   • Ray-finned fishes: fins are webs of skin held up by thin bony rays
   • Usually a gas-filled swim bladder for buoyancy
   • About half of all vertebrate species
9. Infraclass Teleostei teleost fishes
   • Teleosts: symmetrical tail fin
   • Jaws that can push forward to grab prey (protrusible)
   • About 96% of all living fishes
10. Cohort Elopomorpha eels, tarpons & bonefishes
    • Larvae are clear, flat, and ribbon-like (leptocephalus)
    • Includes eels, tarpons, and bonefishes
11. Order Albuliformes bonefishes
    • Bonefishes: silvery fish of shallow flats
    • Mouth underneath a cone-shaped snout
12. Family Albulidae bonefishes
    • Bonefishes root in sand for crabs and clams
13. Genus Albula
    • Species in the same genus are very close relatives and often look alike.
14. Species Albula vulpes Bonefish

Closest relatives in the guide

• Acadian redfish Sebastes fasciatus same class
• Alaska pollock Gadus chalcogrammus same class
• Albacore Thunnus alalunga same class
• Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus same class
• American conger Conger oceanicus same class
• American eel Anguilla rostrata same class
• American goosefish Lophius americanus same class
• American plaice Hippoglossoides platessoides same class