| Polymixia Temporal range: Possible Late Cretaceous occurrence
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Stout beardfish (P. nobilis) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Polymixiiformes |
| Family: | Polymixiidae |
| Genus: | Polymixia R. T. Lowe, 1838 |
| Type species | |
| Polymixia nobilis R. T. Lowe, 1838
| |
Polymixia is the only extant genus of the order Polymixiiformes and family Polymixiidae. It contains 10 species, all of which live in deepwater marine environments.[1] They are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans. They are bottom-dwelling fish, found down to about 800 m (2,600 ft). Most are relatively small fish, although one species is over 40 cm (16 in) in length.[2] They can be considered "living fossils" due to being the only surviving members of the once-diverse order Polymixiiformes.[3]
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Polymixia". FishBase. February 2017 version.
- ^ Paxton, John R. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 161. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ De Cia Caixeta, Heloísa; Oliveira, Claudio; Melo, Marcelo Roberto Souto de (2024-03-01). "Another piece of the living fossil puzzle: A new species of Polymixia Lowe, 1836 (Polymixiiformes: Polymixiidae) from the western South Atlantic". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 205: 104249. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2024.104249. ISSN 0967-0637.