Veliferidae
Family of fishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sailfin moonfishes are a small family, Veliferidae, of lampriform fishes found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Unlike other lampriforms, they live in shallow, coastal waters, of less than 100 m (330 ft) depth, rather than in the deep ocean. They are also much smaller than most of their relatives, up to 30 cm (12 in) in length, and have deep, rather than elongated, bodies. They are characterised by their ability to retract the anterior rays of their dorsal and anal fins into a sheath.[1]
| Veliferidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Velifer hypselopterus | |
 | |
| Metavelifer multiradiatus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lampriformes |
| Family: | Veliferidae Bleeker, 1859 |
| Genera | |
Species
The two extant species in two genera are:
- Genus Metavelifer Walters, 1960
- Metavelifer multiradiatus (Regan, 1907)
- Genus Velifer Temminck and Schlegel, 1850
- Velifer hypselopterus Bleeker, 1879
Fossil record
- †Nardovelifer, from the Campanian of Italy.[2]
- †Oechsleria unterfeldensis, from the lower Oligocene of the Bodenheim Formation, Germany.[2]
- †Veronavelifer, from the Eocene of Italy (Monte Bolca)
- †Wettonius angeloi, from the Eocene of Italy (Monte Bolca) and likely Virginia, US (Nanjemoy Formation)[3][4]
