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List of marine fishes of South Africa

Fishes recorded from the oceans bordering South Africa From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of marine fishes of South Africa
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See also: List of marine bony fishes of South Africa

This is a list of fishes recorded from the oceans bordering South Africa. This part of the list includes any fishes that are not bony fishes., which are the jawless and jawed cartilagenous fishes. This list comprises locally used common names, scientific names with author citation and recorded ranges. Ranges specified may not be the entire known range for the species, but should include the known range within the waters surrounding the Republic of South Africa.

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Map of the Southern African coastline showing some of the landmarks referred to in species range statements

List ordering and taxonomy complies where possible with the current usage in World Register of Marine Species, and may differ from the cited source, as listed citations are primarily for range or existence of records for the region. Sub-taxa within any given taxon are arranged alphabetically as a general rule. Details of each species may be available through the relevant internal links. Synonyms may be listed where useful (usually when recorded under the synonym).

A fish is an aquatic, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fins and a hard skull, but lacking limbs with digits. Fish can be grouped into the more basal jawless fish and the more common jawed fish, the latter including all living cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as the extinct placoderms and acanthodians. In a break from the long tradition of grouping all fish into a single class (''Pisces''), modern phylogenetics views fish as a paraphyletic group.

Most fish are cold-blooded, their body temperature varying with the surrounding water, though some large, active swimmers like the white shark and tuna can maintain a higher core temperature. Many fish can communicate acoustically with each other, such as during courtship displays. The study of fish is known as ichthyology.

There are over 33,000 extant species of fish, which is more than all species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals combined. Most fish belong to the class Actinopterygii, which accounts for approximately half of all living vertebrates. This makes fish easily the largest group of vertebrates by number of species. (Full article...)


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Infraphylum Agnatha – Jawless fishes (Cyclostomes)

Class Myxini

Order Myxiniformes – Hagfishes

Family: Myxinidae[1]

Infraphylum Gnathostomata – Jawed fishes

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Parvphylum Chondrichthyes – Cartilaginous fishes

Class Elasmobranchii – Sharks and Rays

Infraclass Batoidea – Rays (including skates, guitarfish and sawfish)
Order Myliobatiformes – Stingrays

Family: Dasyatidae – Whiptail stingrays

Family: Gymnuridae – Butterflyrays

Family: Hexatrygonidae – Sixgill stingrays

Family: Myliobatidae – Eagle rays

Order Rajiformes – Rays, skates and guitarfish

Family Anacanthobatidae

Family Arhynchobatidae

Family Gurgesiellidae

Family: Rajidae – Skates

Order Rhinopristiformes

Family: Pristidae – Sawfishes [23]

Family: Rhinobatidae – Guitarfish

Order Torpediniformes – Electric rays

Family: Narkidae

Family: Torpedinidae

Infraclass Selachii – Sharks
Order Carcharhiniformes – Ground sharks

Family: Carcharhinidae – Requiem sharks

Family: Hemigaleidae

Family: Pentanchidae

Family: Proscylliidae

Family: Scyliorhinidae – Catsharks

Family: Sphyrnidae – Hammerhead sharks

Family: Triakidae – Houndsharks

Order Echinorhiniformes

Family: Echinorhinidae – Bramble sharks

Order Hexanchiformes – Cow and frill sharks

Family: Hexanchidae – Cow sharks

Order Lamniformes – Mackerel sharks

Family: Alopiidae – Thresher sharks

Family: Cetorhinidae – Basking sharks

Family: Lamnidae – Mackerel sharks

Family: Mitsukurinidae – Goblin sharks

Family: Odontaspididae

Family: Pseudocarchariidae – Crocodile sharks

Order Orectolobiformes – Carpet sharks

Family: Ginglymostomatidae

Family: Rhincodontidae – Whale sharks

Family: Stegostomatidae

Order Pristiophoriformes – Sawsharks

Family: Pristiophoridae

Order Squaliformes – Dogfish sharks

Family: Centrophoridae

Family: Dalatiidae

Family: Somniosidae

Family: Squalidae – Dogfishes

Order Squatiniformes – Angelsharks

Family: Squatinidae

Subclass Holocephali – Chimaeras

Order Chimaeriformes

Family: Callorhinchidae – Elephantfish

Family: Chimaeridae – Chimaeras

Family: Rhinochimaeridae – Longnose chimaeras

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Parvphylum Osteichthyes – Bony fishes

See article List of marine bony fishes of South Africa

References

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