Epigonidae

Epigonidae
Temporal range:
Bigeye, Epigonus pandionis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acropomatiformes
Family: Epigonidae
Poey, 1861
Genera

See text

Not to be confused with Apogonidae.

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 75 cm (30 in) in length, and most grow to no more than 20 cm (7.9 in) 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 3,000 m (9,800 ft).

Fossil epigonid skeletons, tentatively assigned to Epigonus, are known from the earliest Eocene-aged Danata Formation of Turkmenistan.

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