Goodeidae

From Freepedia

? Splitfins
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cyprinodontiformes Family: Goodeidae
Genera
Allodontichthys Allophorus Allotoca Ameca Ataeniobus Chapalichthys Characodon Crenichthys Empetrichthys Gerardinichthys Goodea Hubbsina Ilyodon Neoophorus Skiffia Xenoophorus Xenotaenia Xenotoca Zoogoneticus

The Splitfins or Goodeids are the family Goodeidae of bony fish. Fishbase recognises 53 species, classified into 19 genera. The family includes a number of popular aquarium fish, for example the Redtail Splitfin Xenotoca eiseni. Splitfins are found in fresh or brackish water, in Nevada and west central Mexico. Many have very local distributions.

The family is divided into two subfamilies. One, the Emptrichinae, contains only the two species classified in the genus Empetrichthys. The remaining species are classified in the subfamily Goodeinae. Goodeines are viviparous (live-bearing).

The group gets its name from the fact that, in the male fish, the anterior rays of the anal fin are partly separated from rest of the fin. Splitfins can be up to 20 cm in length, though most species are much smaller, around 5cm.