Clades:
Actinopterygii;
Hemichordata;
Deuterostomia;
Animals.
ZoologyRay-finned fishes.
Pinanae: Sticklebacks and relatives.
Form: their pelvic girdle is never attached to the cleithra directly, and the supramaxillary, orbitosphenoid, and basisphenoid bones are absent; their body is often partly or completely covered with dermal plates.
Name: from Ancient Greek gaster + ostoun, meaning stomach or abdomen + bone
TaxonomyGasterosteiformes often includes the sea horses, pipefishes and their relatives as suborder Syngnathoidei, with the sticklebacks and relatives in the suborder Gasterosteoidei. In many more recent treatments
Syngnathiformes is used.
Scorpaeniformes are apparently closer to the "true"
Gasterosteiformes, whereas the Dactylopteridae seem actually to belong to the
Syngnathiformes clade. The closest relatives of
Gasterosteiformes seem to be Pholidae and Zoarcidae
Families • Aulorhynchidae: Tube-snouts
• Gasterosteidae: Sticklebacks
• Hypoptychidae: Sand eel
Probably
• Indostomidae: Armoured sticklebacks.
• Pegasidae: Dragonfishes, Sea moths.