#beryciformes

[herpsandbirds]

Hawaiian or Striped Squirrelfish (Sargocentron xantherythrum), family Holocentridae, order Beryciformes, endemic to Hawaiian waters

photograph via: NOAA

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Actinopterygii - Beryciformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Beryciformes

Common Name: no common name for the collective order

Families: 9 - Holocentridae (“squirrelfishes”), Berycidae (“alfonsinos” and “nannygais”), Melamphaidae (“ridgeheads”), Stephanoberycidae (“pricklefishes”), Hispidoberycidae (“Bristlyskin”), Gibberichthyidae (“gibberfishes”), Rondeletiidae (“redmouth whalefishes”), Barbourisiidae (“Velvet Whalefish”), and Cetomimidae (“flabby whalefishes”)

Anatomy: deep and mildly compressed body; most have large eyes

Diet: zooplankton, crustaceans, small fish,

Habitat: most live in tropical to temperate, deepwater, marine environments; most live on the continental shelf and continental slope, as deep as 3,400 metres (11,200 ft) down; some species move closer to the surface at night

Evolved in: Late Cretaceous

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Voting ended onJul 21, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

Many deep-sea dwelling Beryciformes are red, because longer electromagnetic wavelengths (such as red and orange) do not penetrate into the deepest depths of the ocean. Animals which have evolved in the deep sea cannot see these longer wavelengths, making any red fish at this depth effectively black.

Species within the family Cetomimidae are so sexually dimorphic that scientists once thought males, females, and juveniles were in completely different families. Females are known as Flabby Whalefishes (image 4 and gif), males as Bignose Fishes, and juveniles as Tapetails. Females are predators, with distendable stomachs allowing them to pursue larger prey, while the jaws of males fuse shut during the transformation from their juvenile phase. Males retain the shells of copepods consumed while still in the juvenile form, and convert the energy into a massive liver that will support them throughout their adult life. Both of these extreme adaptations allow these whalefish to survive in the depths of the ocean where food is scarce.

(source)

The preopercle spines (near the gill opening) of squirrelfish (family Holocentridae) (image 1) are venomous, and can cause painful wounds.

Not much is known about this order due to their nocturnal nature and/or deep water habitats

[fish-facing-forward]

Sargocentron rubrum

Redcoat

Image source

Status: Least concern

Distribution: Along the shallow areas in the Indian Ocean, east of the Pacific ocean, mainly along northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and southwest Asia. Introduced in the Mediterranean.

[sunkentreasurecove]

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Orange Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus)

Also known as the Red Roughy, Slimehead or Deep sea Perch, the orange roughy is a deep sea species of slimehead (Trachichthyidae) that inhabits the bathypelagic zone in the Western Pacific, eastern Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and Eastern Pacific oceans. Orange roughy are sluggish and generally feed near the bottom, feeding mainly on zooplankton like crustaceans, small fish and squid. Orange roughy are noted for their extraordinary lifespan, with individuals living up to 149 years old. They are slow-growing and late to mature, which might cause their long lifespan. 

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Actinopterygii-Beryciformes-Trachichthyidae-Hoplostethus-H. atlanticus

Image: Pengo and Handal