Taxon Description (Wikipedia)
Aulopiformes is an order of extant and several families with about 45 genera and over 230 species. The common names
grinners,
lizardfishes and allies or
aulopiforms are sometimes used for this group. The scientific name means "
Aulopus-shaped", from
Aulopus (the type genus) + the standard fish order suffix "-formes". It ultimately derives from Ancient Greek
aulós (αὐλός, "flute" or "pipe") + Latin
forma ("external form"), the former in reference to the elongated shape of many Aulopiformes.
[Woodhouse (1910), Glare (1968-1982), FishBase (2000)]
They are grouped together because of common features in the structure of their gill arches. Indeed, may authors have considered them so distinct as to warrant separation in a...
full article at Wikipedia
