Cichliformes

Cichliformes
Temporal range: Eocene–present
Pholidichthys leucotaenia, the convict blenny
Pterophyllum scalare, the freshwater angelfish, a cichlid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Clade: Ovalentaria
Order: Cichliformes
R. Betancur-R et al. 2013
Type species
Cichla ocellaris
Bloch & Schneider, 1801

Cichliformes /ˈsɪklɪfɔːrmz/ 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.[1]

  1. ^ Murray, Alison M. (2022). "Cenozoic Cichlids of Africa (Cichlidae: Pseudocrenilabrinae) With the Description of a New Species From the Oligocene of Somalia". Frontiers in Earth Science. 10. Bibcode:2022FrEaS..10.2301M. doi:10.3389/feart.2022.892301. ISSN 2296-6463.