- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Superclass: Gnathostomata
- Class: Actinopterygii
- Norwegian: beinfisk
Characteristics:
The fins are supported by rays, as the name indicates. In contrast to the cartilaginous fish they have a rigid skeleton. The swim bladder is also a unique feature of most ray-finned fish, enabling them to maintain buoyancy as they move up or down in the water. A gill cover is used to pump water through the gills, enabling the bony fish to breathe without swimming.
Taxonomy:
Ray-finned fish constitute the largest class of vertebrates, including nearly 25000 marine and fresh-water species. According to WoRMS there are 57 orders of marine species. Ten of them are presented here.