Synodontidae: Information from Answers.com

Lizardfishes Fossil range: Miocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ^[1]

Synodus intermedius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Aulopiformes
Family:	Synodontidae
Genera
Harpadon Saurida Synodus Trachinocephalus

The Lizardfishes (or typical lizardfishes to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are a family, the Synodontidae, of aulopiform fish. They are found in tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world.

Lizardfishes are generally small fish, although the largest species are about 60 centimetres (24 in) long. They have slender, somewhat cylindrical bodies, and heads that resemble those of lizards. The dorsal fin is located in the middle of the back, and accompanied by a small adipose fin placed closer to the tail.^[2] They have mouths full of sharp teeth, even on the tongue.^[1]

They are bottom-dwelling fish, living in shallow coastal waters; even the deepest dwelling lizardfish lives in waters no more than 400 metres (1,300 ft). Some species in the subfamily Harpadontinae even live in brackish estuaries. They prefer sandy environments, and typically have body colours that help to camouflage them in such environments.^[2]

The larvae of lizardfishes are free-swimming. They are distinguished by the presence of black blotches in their guts, clearly visible through their transparent, scale-less, skin.^[2]

Species

There are 67 species, grouped into four genera:^[1]

Family Synodontidae

Subfamily Synodontinae
- Genus Synodus
  - Synodus amaranthus Waples & Randall, 1988
  - Two-spot lizard fish, Synodus binotatus Schultz, 1953
  - Capricorn lizardfish, Synodus capricornis Cressey & Randall, 1978
  - Sand lizardfish, Synodus dermatogenys Fowler, 1912
  - Arrowtooth lizardfish, Synodus doaki Russell & Cressey, 1979
  - Engleman's lizardfish, Synodus englemani Schultz, 1953
  - Inotted lizardfish, Synodus evermanni Jordan & Bollman, 1890
  - Synodus falcatus Waples & Randall, 1988
  - Inshore lizardfish, Synodus foetens (Linnaeus, 1766)
  - Synodus fuscus Tanaka, 1917
  - Synodus gibbsi Cressey, 1981
  - Blackear lizardfish, Synodus hoshinonis Tanaka, 1917
  - Indian lizardfish, Synodus indicus (Day, 1873)
  - Sand diver, Synodus intermedius (Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
  - Lighthouse lizardfish, Synodus jaculum Russell & Cressey, 1979
  - Synodus janus Waples & Randall, 1988
  - Gunther's lizard fish, Synodus kaianus (Günther, 1880)
  - Sauro lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus Gilbert, 1890
  - Synodus lobeli Waples & Randall, 1988
  - California lizardfish, Synodus lucioceps (Ayres, 1855)
  - Synodus macrocephalus Cressey, 1981
  - Triplecross lizardfish, Synodus macrops Tanaka, 1917
  - Lizardfish, Synodus marchenae Hildebrand, 1946
  - Synodus mascarensis
  - Synodus oculeus Cressey, 1981
  - Synodus orientalis
  - Offshore lizardfish, Synodus poeyi Jordan, 1887
  - Synodus randalli Cressey, 1981
  - Redmarbled lizardfish, Synodus rubromarmoratus Russell & Cressey, 1979
  - Speartoothed grinner, Synodus sageneus Waite, 1905
  - Atlantic lizardfish, Synodus saurus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  - Shorthead lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps Jordan & Gilbert, 1882
  - Sechura lizardfish, Synodus sechurae Hildebrand, 1946
  - Lavender lizardfish, Synodus similis McCulloch, 1921
  - Diamond lizardfish, Synodus synodus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  - Synodus tectus Cressey, 1981
  - Red lizard fish, Synodus ulae Schultz, 1953
  - Synodus usitatus Cressey, 1981
  - Variegated lizardfish, Synodus variegatus (Lacepède, 1803)
- Genus Trachinocephalus
  - Snakefish, Trachinocephalus myops (Forster, 1801)
Subfamuly Harpadontinae
- Genus Harpadon - Bombay Ducks
  - Harpadon erythraeus Klausewitz, 1983
  - Harpadon microchir Günther, 1878
  - Bombay duck, Harpadon nehereus (Hamilton, 1822)
  - Harpadon squamosus (Alcock, 1891)
  - Glassy Bombay Duck, Harpadon translucens Saville-Kent, 1889
- Genus Saurida
  - Shortfin saury, Saurida argentea Macleay, 1881
  - Brazilian lizardfish, Saurida brasiliensis Norman, 1935
  - Smallscale lizardfish, Saurida caribbaea Breder, 1927
  - Slender lizardfish, Saurida elongata (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
  - Saurida filamentosa Ogilby, 1910
  - Orangemouth lizardfish, Saurida flamma Waples, 1982
  - Gracile lizardfish, Saurida gracilis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
  - Grey saury, Saurida grandisquamis Günther, 1864
  - Shortjaw saury, Saurida isarankurai Shindo & Yamada, 1972
  - Longfin lizardfish, Saurida longimanus Norman, 1939
  - Saurida microlepis Wu & Wang, 1931
  - Shortfin lizardfish, Saurida micropectoralis Shindo & Yamada, 1972
  - Clouded lizardfish, Saurida nebulosa Valenciennes, 1850
  - Shortjaw lizardfish, Saurida normani Longley, 1935
  - Saurida pseudotumbil Dutt & Sagar, 1981
  - Suspicious lizardfish, Saurida suspicio Breder, 1927
  - Greater lizardfish, Saurida tumbil (Bloch, 1795)
  - Saurida umeyoshii Inoue & Nakabo, 2006.^[3]
  - Brushtooth lizardfish, Saurida undosquamis (Richardson, 1848)
  - Wanieso lizardfish, Saurida wanieso Shindo & Yamada, 1972

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Synodontidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. December 2008 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c Johnson, R.K. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
^ Inoue & Nakabo (2006). "The Saurida undosquamis group (Aulopiformes: Synodontidae), with description of a new species from southern Japan.". Ichthyological research 53 (4): 386ff.. doi:10.1007/s10228-006-0358-y.

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Synodontidae

Species

References

See also