NANFA-- Pygmy Sunfish Connections

Scott Davis (unclescott_at_prodigy.net)
Sat, 4 May 2002 19:36:29 -0500

While looking for something else (off on a killifish tangent from the NANFA
Fossil Flowering Plant thread) on a site called BP's Zoology Pages
http://members.aol.com/porchnus/zoo/fishes.htm which says it draws a lot
from the Zoological Record, mention was made that the Elassomatidae or Pygmy
Sunfishes were members the Zeiformes. Interesting that they weren't even
included in the Perciformes.

The Zeiformes evidentially are mostly a crowd of salt water fishes like the
John Dory. Is this pretty well accepted? How do "they" think the pygmies
developed from open water ocean going fishes?

I realize this makes no practical difference - they are still neat aquarium
fishes. It is still fascinating watching a little pygmy stalk a mosquito
larvae. But it does add a little bit of understanding to the craft.

Killinuts have long considered pygmy sunfishes as "honorary killies," well
aware of the fact that just because the pygmy sunfishes laid surprisingly
large eggs in the Java moss and occupied peripheral waters that there was no
necessary close connection. Sometimes the phrase convergent evolution ambled
into the conversation.

Thanks and all the best!

Scott
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