SPECIES INFO
Slender filefish (Monacanthus tuckeri) is found from New Jersey south along the coast to northern South America. Although this is found near most islands in the Caribbean, this appears absent from the Gulf of Mexico. This fish is normally less than 4 inches in length. The color is yellow marked with a few white bars that form a grid. The fish is also marked with numerous small black spots. The image in the Audubon Guide to tropical marine fish shows a white specimen with a dark horizontal bar along the side.File fishes (in Australia called leatherjackets) are a family of about 100 species spread among about 30 different genera. These are found in all oceans of the world. 60 of these species can be found near Australia. Many species are sexually dimorphic with brightly colored males. These fish are armed with a upright lockable first dorsal fin spine which has several downward pointing barbs.
Tetraodont (Tetraodontifomes) order contains the trigger fish, ocean sunfish, and the puffer fish.
Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.
Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.
Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.
Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
