Class ACTINOPTERYGII
Introduction
The class Actinopterygii includes the ray-finned fishes. Two subclasses of the Actinopterygii are recognised: Chondrostei and Neopterygii. Species of Chondrostei occur in fresh waters of Africa, North America, Europe and northern Asia; they are not represented in Australia (Nelson 1994). Members of the Neopterygii are well represented in Australian waters with 184 families and over 2,000 species. The subclass contains a single division the Teleostei or the modern bony fishes. The division is divided into four subdivisions based on the work of Patterson & Rosen (1977). Details of the classification are discussed in Nelson (1994).
General References
Nelson, J.S. 1994. Fishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons 600 pp.
Patterson, C. & Rosen, D.E. 1977. Review of the ichthyodectiform and other Mesozoic teleost fishes and the theory and practice of classifying fossils. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 158: 81-172
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |