Order Summary for Cetomimiformes

  Main Ref
:
  Order
:
Cetomimiformes whalefishes
  Class
:
Teleostei
  Sister Order
:
Beryciformes 70 M years
  Ref.
:
  First Fossil Record
:
late Cretaceous
  Occurs in
:
Marine
Fresh
Brackish
  Remark
:
Complete loss of fin spines. The whalefishes have a whale-shaped body; mouth very large and stomach highly distensible; eyes well developed to degenerate; latera line made up of enormous hollow tubes; luminous tissue on body; dorsal and anal fins far back on body and opposite one another; no swim bladder; orbitosphenoid absent; supramaxilla absent or reduced; color usually orange and red on a black body.
  Class etymology
:
Greek aktis = ray, thunderbolt, beam + Greek pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin. Ref. 45335.
  Order etymology
:
Greek, ketos = whale, marine monster + Greek, mimos = imitative, imitator + Latin, forma = shape (Ref. 45335).
  Families
:
( n = 5 ) -

Ref.
[ e.g. 9948]                       
Glossary
                    [ e.g. cephalopods]

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