Cichliformes
{{Short description|Order of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|48|0|Middle Eocene to present}}
| image = Pholidichthys leucotaenia 1.jpg
| image_caption = Pholidichthys leucotaenia, the convict blenny
| image2 = Freshwater angelfish biodome.jpg
| image2_caption = Pterophyllum scalare, the freshwater angelfish, a cichlid
| taxon = Cichliformes
| authority = R. Betancur-R et al. 2013
| type_species = Cichla ocellaris
| type_species_authority = Bloch & Schneider, 1801
| subdivision_ranks = Families
| subdivision = * Polycentridae
}}
Cichliformes {{IPAc-en|'|s|ɪ|k|l|ᵻ|f|ɔːr|m|iː|z}} is an order of fishes. Its members were previously classified under the order Perciformes, but now many authorities consider it to be an independent order within the subseries Ovalentaria. The earliest fossils are known from the Eocene.{{Cite journal |last=Murray |first=Alison M. |date=2022 |title=Cenozoic Cichlids of Africa (Cichlidae: Pseudocrenilabrinae) With the Description of a New Species From the Oligocene of Somalia |journal=Frontiers in Earth Science |volume=10 |doi=10.3389/feart.2022.892301 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022FrEaS..10.2301M |issn=2296-6463}}
Taxonomy
There are three families within the Cichliformes; the leaffishes are a small family consisting of 4 genera and 5 species, the convict blennies are a small family consisting of a single genus and two species, while the cichlids are one of the largest vertebrate families with over 202 genera and more than 1700 species. These families look physically dissimilar from one another, with only molecular data revealing their close relationships.{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=752 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2018-11-05 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }}
The following taxonomy is based on the Catalog of Fishes (2025){{Cite web |last=Fricke |first=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}}
- Polycentridae T. N. Gill, 1858 (leaffishes)
- Pholidichthyidae D.S. Jordan, 1896{{cite WoRMS |id=267027 |title=Pholidichthyidae Jordan, 1896 |access-date=5 November 2018 |year=2017 |db=FishBase}} (Convict blennies)
- Cichlidae Bonaparte, 1835 {{cite WoRMS |id=267027 |title=Cichlidae Bonaparte, 1835 |access-date=5 November 2018 |year=2015 |db=FishBase}} (Cichlids)
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Actinopterygii}}
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Category:Ray-finned fish orders