Lizardfishes and Relatives: Aulopiformes

Lizardfishes are long-bodied and have a large head that looks like the head of a reptile. Some of the relatives have a first ray on the dorsal fin that is much longer than the other rays. The dorsal (DOOR-suhl) fin is the fin along the midline of the back. Rays are supporting rods in the fins. Other relatives have a series of red bars on their pelvic fins, or the rear pair, corresponding to the rear legs of four-footed animals. These fishes have yellow spots just above the lateral line and have rows of faint blue spots above and below the lateral line. The lateral (LAT-uhr-uhl) line is a series of pores and tiny tubes along each side of a fish's body and is used for sensing vibrations. The fins are pale white to clear. Some lizardfish relatives have a pencil-shaped body, a flat head with tiny eyes, and long, thick fin rays. Others have a long, sail-like dorsal fin that stretches from the head nearly to the tail. Still other relatives have tubular eyes that look like and are used as a telescope for detecting light in dim surroundings. Other relatives have fanglike teeth and lack scales.