Which fish belongs to the order Perciformes. Order of perciform fish: characteristics and representatives

The title of representatives of the most extensive order of fish is rightfully held by the perch-like inhabitants of the underwater kingdom. This order, belonging to the class of ray-finned fish, unites approximately forty percent of the species of bony fish. The distribution area of ​​the individuals representing the order includes absolutely all marine bodies of water and most freshwater ones, which means they can be found in all climatic zones of the planet without exception.

Perciform fish are the largest order of ray-finned fish that inhabit all the water bodies of our planet.

General description and characteristics

The Latin name of the order is Persiformes. Its representatives are mostly predators. In terms of color variants, perciformes belong to one of the most diverse orders. The color of a particular individual is directly related to its habitat, or rather, to the climatic region in which it lives. Tropical fish have brighter colors than others. Individuals swimming in reservoirs of northern latitudes have a rather pale and even faded, nondescript color, predominantly in gray-brown tones.

Like many fish that exist in the modern world, they have a bony backbone. It is usually connected to the skull through a movable attachment to the maxillary apparatus. The head of a perch-like individual is usually “decorated” with spines. The mouth of individuals representing the order is formed by jaws, the functioning of which is carried out according to the so-called grasping method. The fish makes a weak movement forward, freezes for a while, after which it quickly rushes at the chosen victim with the maximum possible speed. This style of attack does not leave the prey the slightest chance of salvation.

Most perciformes have seta-like teeth that are quite small in size. But some varieties have large fangs. The skin of these fish is covered with scales - most often of the ctenoid type. Like all fish belonging to the bony class, representatives of this order have gill covers.

The swim bladder is in no way connected with the intestines, and in some varieties it is completely absent. The anus is separated from the genitourinary.

Presence of fins and their location

One of the main features of perciformes is their fins. They are usually equipped with peculiar spines - some fin rays have the shape of undivided sharp spines. Most individuals have two dorsal fins.

The adipose fin is completely absent. If there are ventral ones, they consist of no more than six rays. They are located mainly under the chest and occasionally in front of them - on the throat. The pectoral fins are placed either obliquely or perpendicular to the long axis of the body.

Sizes of individuals

In terms of size, perciform fish of different species are very different from each other. The smallest representatives are the gobies Schindleria brevipingus, living near the Australian east coast. The inhabitants of the underwater world of this species are among the smallest fish on the planet. Their weight is only one milligram, and body length reaches:

• in males - 7.7 mm;
• in females - 8.4 mm.

The largest perch-like individuals are blue marlins (Atlantic and Indo-Pacific). They can grow up to five meters in length and weigh almost a ton. Also The largest representatives include:

• swordfish;
• black marlin;
• common tuna.

These individuals are capable of reaching a length of 4.5 meters.

But still, according to the traditional understanding of the order, small-sized individuals predominate among perciformes. Over a third of all species included in this order have a body length within ten centimeters. Large representatives of perciformes, whose sizes are equal to or exceed one meter, account for less than three percent of the total number of species.

Species of individuals

The representatives of this vast order include more than one and a half hundred families, classified into two dozen suborders. Thus, the number of species of perciform fish in total exceeds ten thousand. Many of these fish are considered commercial and important.

Individuals of perciformes are capable of fully existing in natural objects with both salt water and fresh water, therefore this order includes both marine fish and freshwater fish. Among the representatives of the order Perciformes The most widespread are:

• bulls;
• perches;
• mackerel;
• horse mackerel;
• zander;
• tunas.

It is well known that fish are one of the most ancient representatives of the animal world on the planet; paleontologists associate their first appearance with the Ordovician period of time (530 million years ago): it was then that the Haikouichthys creature appeared, which is the common ancestor of all fish.

Perciformes are no exception; they belong to the class of ray-finned fish and currently include about 10,000 species, which, according to certain characteristics, are combined into 20 suborders and 160 families. Representatives of the order Perciformes inhabit the waters of a wide variety of climatic zones, but the greatest diversity is present in the tropical ones. Only 7 species of this order live on the territory of Russia, and all of them are valuable fishing objects, since they form the basis of the fishing industry.

These fish are characterized by an extremely rich variety of colors, and it directly depends on the climatic zone where individual fish live. Thus, the color of those that swim in tropical waters will be bright, saturated, with an abundance of “screaming” colors, and those that swim in temperate waters will be much more faded, even nondescript, with a predominance of gray-brown shades. The skin is covered with scales; very rarely, individuals are found that have peculiar plates that completely cover the body (vaguely reminiscent of armor).

Perciformes, like other bony fish, have paired limbs and fins, which, however, are not on the belly, like others in the class, but in the front part of the body, immediately after the oral region, just below the pectorals. They usually move away from each other in opposite directions. There is also another additional fin, the anal, which is located in the caudal part of the body. Of course, there is both a caudal and a dorsal fin, which consists of two parts, spiny and soft. For the most part, all fins of perciformes are equipped with spines, but at the same time they have a relatively small number of rays - only 6.

The anal and urogenital openings are separated from each other. Like most modern fish that live in the oceans and seas, perciformes have a bony spine, which is most often connected to the skull through a movable articulation with the maxillary apparatus.

The mouth of representatives of this order is formed by jaws that operate according to the grasping principle: the fish leans forward slightly, freezes for a while, and then rushes at the prey as quickly as possible, leaving it no chance. The teeth are most often bristle-shaped and small in size, but some species have impressive fangs. Gill covers also take part in the structure of the body, providing not only protection for the gills, but also regulating the ventilation mechanism.

Some species are capable of developing truly dizzying speeds, which greatly helps them win competition from other individuals. Thus, mackerels are capable of swimming for quite a long time at a speed of 90 km/h, which is especially good when chasing prey.

Biologists note that although perciformes belong to bony fish, rare individuals of this order may lack a swim bladder, and in some it may not communicate with the intestines. The swim bladder is a special growth that performs respiratory, sound and hydrostatic functions, helping the fish to remain at a depth where its weight is equal to that displaced by the fish. Those individuals that lack a swim bladder are forced to maintain a certain depth throughout their lives by constant movement or find shelters closed on several sides.

Representatives from whom the name of the detachment was given are widespread on the territory of Russia - perches, which are a valuable object of fishing not only commercially, but also for amateurs. They are mostly distributed in rivers and lakes. Since perches are supporters of a sedentary lifestyle, they choose places where the flow of rivers is relatively small, allowing them to calmly hunt and reproduce. The average perch weighs no more than a kilogram and is half a meter long; however, sometimes fishermen catch individuals reaching three kilograms, but this happens very rarely.

In the fresh and sea waters of Russia, pike perch is also often found, which is much more valued by fishermen than the representatives of the family described above. There are two species: ordinary and Volga, living in the place of their name. Pike perch is a commercial target.

The widespread migration of mackerels has contributed to the fact that several species of this family are found in the Baltic and Black Seas. All species, without exception, are also a very valuable commercial object; Scomber scombrus stands out, its lean and soft meat is enriched with vitamin B12, plus it is completely devoid of small bones, which cannot be said about perch and pike perch. The maximum length of their body is slightly more than 60 centimeters, while their weight can reach the same 3 kilograms. Unlike the described species, the Atlantic mackerel lacks a swim bladder.

In the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas, gobies are especially common - another family distinguished in the order Perciformes. Representatives of this family mostly live in sea waters, but small schools can also be found in fresh waters. A notable feature is the way of life: it is a classic benthic, gobies consume invertebrates as food, but all members of the family, without exception, are characterized by the protection by males of eggs laid by females in special nests, which they themselves equip.

All perciformes first create nests, which are often small holes plugged with vegetation, but only gobies provide protection to future offspring. The largest females of this order are capable of laying up to 1 million eggs.

The wide distribution of representatives of perciformes contributed to the fact that they were assigned the conservation status of LC - the one given to species that are least susceptible to extinction. However, large volumes of prey, significantly exceeding the number of young animals, may lead to a risk of extinction in the future.

Perciformes: characteristics, significance, representatives and interesting facts about this type of fish you will learn in this article.

Perciformes(Perciformes) is an order of fish from the class of ray-finned fish, including about 40% of bony fish species.

Perciformes: general characteristics

• Some of the rays of the fins look like undivided sharp spines; the pelvic fins are usually located under the pectoral fins, and sometimes in front of them. There are usually two dorsal fins. There are usually spikes on the head. The scales are often ctenoid.
• the swim bladder is not combined with the intestines.
• These are mainly predators.
• Some have no swim bladder.
• live in both fresh and salt waters

The body length of different species of these fish ranges from 1 cm to 5 m, and the weight sometimes reaches 900 kg.

These fish are characterized by an extremely rich variety of colors, which depends on the climatic zone where the fish live. Thus, the color of fish swimming in tropical waters will be bright, while fish in northern latitudes will have a more faded, even nondescript color, with a predominance of gray-brown shades. The skin is covered with scales.
The anal and urogenital openings are separated from each other. Like most modern fish that live in the oceans and seas, perciformes have a bony spine, which is most often connected to the skull through a movable connection with the maxillary apparatus.
The mouth of representatives of this order is formed by jaws that operate according to the grasping principle: the fish moves forward a little, freezes for a while, and then rushes at the prey as quickly as possible, leaving it no chance. The teeth are most often bristle-shaped and small in size, but some species have large fangs.

Perciform fish representatives

The order Perciformes includes more than 10,000 species of fish and about 150 families of this series. The most common representatives are pike perch, perch, ruffe, mackerel, horse mackerel, tuna, and gobies.

Perciformes: interesting facts

Swordfish can be 4.5 m long and weigh up to 500 kg. This animal, when chasing prey, is capable of reaching speeds of up to 130 km/h.

Before breeding, all perciformes create nests, which are often small holes, plugged with vegetation, but only gobies protect future offspring. The largest females of this order are capable of laying up to 1 million eggs.

Tuna moves very quickly, the speed of this fish reaches 75 kilometers per hour.

The largest tuna specimen ever recorded was 21 feet long and weighed 1,600 pounds.

Tuna is able to change the position of its dorsal and pectoral fins to reduce water resistance and speed up its swimming speed.

Tuna can swim near the surface or can dive to depths of 3,000 feet as they search for food.

Perciformes: meaning

Many species of perciformes have commercial value. In the Black Sea, mackerel, mackerel, tuna, and various types of gobies are fished. River perch, pike perch, ruffe, etc. are found in fresh water bodies.