Osteichthyes (Bony Fishes)

Rebecca Hitchin, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Published online: May 2003

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0001535

Osteichthyes are characterized by the presence of a well-ossified bony internal skeleton, bony scales and fins that are supported by bony rods.

Keywords: actinopterygians; sarcopterygians; ray-finned fish; lobe finned fish; teleosts; coelocanths; lungfish

 Further Reading
    Ahlberg PE (1991) A re-examination of sarcopterygian interrelationships, with special reference to the Porolepiformes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 103: 241–287. [An account of the evolution of the sarcopterygians including their transition onto land.]
    Ahlberg PE (1995) Elginerpeton pancheni and the earliest tetrapod clade. Nature 373: 420–425. [An account of the evolution of the sarcopterygians including their transition onto land.]
    book Benton MJ (ed) (1993) The Fossil Record 2. London: Chapman & Hall.
    book Benton MJ (1997) Vertebrate Palaeontology, 2nd edn. London: Chapman & Hall.
    Lauder GV and Liem KF (1983) The evolution and interrelationships of the actinopterygian fishes. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 159: 95–197. [Review of actinopterygian phylogeny.]
    book Long JA (1995) The Rise of the Fishes. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. [Illustrated account of fossil fishes.]
    book Maisey JG (1996) Discovering Fossil Fishes. New York: Henry Holt. [Illustrated account of fossil fishes.]
    book Moyle PB and Cech Jr JJ (1996) Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology, 3rd edn. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. [Diversity of living fishes.]
    book Nelson JS (1994) Fishes of the World, 3rd edn. New York: Wiley. [Diversity of living fishes.]
    book Patterson C (1994) "Bony fishes". In: Prothero DR and Schoch RM (eds) Major Features of Vertebrate Evolution, Short Courses in Paleontology, vol. 7, pp. 57–84. Knoxville, TN: Paleontological Society. [Review of actinopterygian phylogeny.]
    book Stiassny MLJ, Parenti LR and Johnson GD (eds) (1996) The Interrelationships of Fishes 2. New York: Academic Press. [Review of actinopterygian phylogeny.]

Related Sub-Topics:

Diversity of Life | Fossils and Evolution
Contact Editor close
Submit a note to the editor about this article by filling in the form below.

* Required Field

Article Title: Osteichthyes (Bony Fishes)
 
How to Cite close
Hitchin, Rebecca(May 2003) Osteichthyes (Bony Fishes). In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0001535]