Epigonidae, the deepwater cardinalfishes, are a family of acropomatiform ray-finned fishes. The family includes about 43 species. Despite their name, they are not closely related to the true cardinalfishes of the family Apogonidae.
They are small fishes: the largest, Epigonus telescopus, reaches in length, and most grow to no more than or so.
They are found in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world. They are bathydemersal fishes (inhabiting deep waters close to the sea bed) and have been found at depths of .
Fossil epigonid skeletons, tentatively assigned to Epigonus, are known from the earliest Eocene-aged Danata Formation of Turkmenistan.
Timeline
Genera The following genera are included in the family:
Brephostoma Alcock, 1889 Epigonus Rafinesque, 1810 Florenciella Mead & de Falla, 1965 Microichthys Rüppell, 1852 Rosenblattia Mead & de Falla, 1965 Sphyraenops Gill, 1861
References