Stomiati is a clade of teleost fish belonging to the cohort (group) Euteleostei, which is a group of bony fishes within the infra-class Teleostei that evolved ~240 million years ago. Teleostei is a group of ray-finned fishes with the exception of primitive , , , freshwater garfishes, and . The cohort of Euteleostei is divided into two smaller groups: the Protacanthopterygii and the Neoteleostei. Stomiati happen to be descendants of the Protacanthopterygii, and contains the order of Osmeriformes and Stomiiformes.Betancur-R; et al. (2013). "Appendix 2 – Revised Classification for Bony Fishes" (PDF). PLOS Currents Tree of Life(Edition 1).
Stomiati is one of five major Euteleostei lineages that were recently placed in one monophyly, a group of organisms all descending from one common ancestor. The five being a clade formed by Esociformes and Salmonidae; second being the Stomiatii consisting of only Osmeriformes and Stomiiformes; Argentiniformes (excludes Alepocephalidae); Galaxiidae (excludes Lepidogalaxias); and Neoteleostei. Stomiati are known for their large mouth, long throat/barbel, and no caudal filament.United States National Museum, and The University of California. “Bulletin of the United States National Museum.” U.S. Government Printing Office, no. 16, 1882, p. 256., books.google.com/books?id=TQwlAQAAIAAJ.
Little is known about their ability to use and let alone sense light at such depths. Due to them lurking at a depth well below 500 m, they can only be observed in their natural habitat, and bringing one up to the surface alive is infeasible. The change in pressure the fish would experience would be too great and most certainly be fatal.Kenaley, C P. “Diel vertical migration of the loosejaw dragonfishes (Stomiiformes: Stomiidae: Malacosteinae): a new analysis for rare pelagic taxa.” Journal of Fish Biology, vol. 73, no. 4, ser. 1095-8649, 15 Sept. 2008, pp. 888–901. 1095-8649, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.01983.x.
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