Acipenseriformes

Acipenseriformes, the sturgeons, is an order of fish. Atlantic sturgeon is an example of sturgeon. Acipenseriformes live in freshwater lakes.

Acipenseriformes Temporal range: Early Jurassic–Present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus)
American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Acipenseriformes L. S. Berg, 1940
Subgroups
Genus †Eochondrosteus? Family †Chondrosteidae (sometimes placed in its own order) Family †Peipiaosteidae Suborder Acipenseroidei Family Acipenseridae (sturgeon) Family Polyodontidae (paddlefish)

Fossil of the †chondrosteid †Strongylosteus hindenburgi, Tübingen

Fossil of the †peipiaosteid †Yanosteus longidorsalis, MHNT

The living polyodontid Polyodon spathula (American paddlefish)

The living acipenserid Acipenser ruthenus (sterlet)

The living acipenserid Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni (false shovelnose sturgeon)

The two most notable members are sturgeons and paddlefish.

Description

Acipenseriformes have ossified axial skeletons. The quadratojugal bones are three-pointed.

Classification

• Order Acipenseriformes Berg, 1940
  • Genus †Eochondrosteus Lu, Li & Yang, 2005
  • Family †Chondrosteidae Egerton, 1858
    • Genus †Chondrosteus Agassiz, 1833–1844
    • Genus †Gyrosteus Agassiz, 1833–1844
    • Genus †Strongylosteus Agassiz, 1833–1844
  • Family †Peipiaosteidae Liu & Zhou, 1965
    • Genus †Spherosteus Jakovlev, 1968
    • Genus †Yanosteus Jin et al., 1995
    • Genus †Liaosteus Lu, 1995
    • Genus †Peipiaosteus Liu & Zhou, 1965
    • Genus †Stichopterus Reis, 1909
  • Suborder Acipenseroidei Grande & Bemis, 1991
    • Family Polyodontidae Bonaparte, 1838 (paddlefish)
      • Genus †Protopsephurus Lu, 1994
      • Genus †Paleopsephurus MacAlpin, 1941a
      • Genus †Pugiopsephurus Hilton et al., 2023
      • Genus †Parapsephurus Hilton et al., 2023
      • Subfamily Polyodontinae Grande & Bemis, 1991 non Pflugfelder, 1934
        • Genus †Crossopholis Cope, 1883
        • Genus Polyodon Lacépède, 1797 (American paddlefish)
        • Genus †Psephurus Günther, 1873 (Chinese paddlefish)
    • Family Acipenseridae Bonaparte, 1831 sensu Bemis et al., 1997 (sturgeons)
      • Genus †Boreiosturion Murray et al. 2023
      • Genus †Protoscaphirhynchus Wilimovsky, 1956
      • Genus †Engdahlichthys Murray et al. 2020
      • Genus †Anchiacipenser Sato, Murray, Vernygora and Currie, 2019
      • Genus †Priscosturion Grande & Hilton, 2009 [Psammorhynchus Grande & Hilton, 2006]
      • Genus Acipenser Linnaeus, 1758
      • Genus Huso J. F. Brandt & Ratzeburg, 1833
      • Genus Scaphirhynchus Heckel, 1835
      • Genus Pseudoscaphirhynchus Nikolskii, 1900

Hybridization

Main article: Sturddlefish

In July 2020, a team of scientists successfully managed to hybridize a Russian sturgeon and an American paddlefish, proving that despite separated lineages, these two fishes can breed with each other.^[1]