Order Perciformes
(perch-like fishes and perchlike fishes)

Confused by a class within a class or an order within an order? Please see our brief essay.

Scientific names for Aves taxonomy (family and below) are from The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, Princeton University Press, copyright 2003. Used by permission.

• Parent taxa
  
  
  
•  
  Superorder Acanthopterygii
•  
  Order Perciformes (perch-like fishes and perchlike fishes)
•  
  Suborder Acanthuroidei (surgeonfishes)
•  
  Family Acanthuridae (surgeonfishes and tangs)
•  
  Family Luvaridae (louvars and luvarsus fishes)
•  
  Family Scatophagidae (butterfishes, scats, and spadefishes)
•  
  Family Siganidae (rabbitfishes and spinefishes)
•  
  Family Zanclidae
•  
  Suborder Ammodytoidei (sand lances)
•  
  Suborder Anabantoidei (labyrinthfishes)
•  
  Family Anabantidae (climbing perches)
•  
  Family Belontiidae (gouramies and labyrinthfishes)
•  
  Family Helostomatidae (kissing gouramis)
•  
  Family Luciocephalidae (pike-heads)
•  
  Family Osphronemidae (giant gouramis)
•  
  Suborder Blennioidei (blennies)
•  
  Family Blenniidae (blennies, combtooth blennies, and scaleless blennies)
•  
  Family Chaenopsidae (flag blennies)
•  
  Family Clinidae (clinids, kelpfishes, klipfishes, and scaled blennies)
•  
  Family Congrogadidae
•  
  Family Dactyloscopidae (sand stargazers)
•  
  Family Labrisomidae
•  
  Family Ophiclinidae
•  
  Family Peronedysidae
•  
  Family Tripterygiidae (threadfin blennies)
•  
  Family Xenocephalidae
•  
  Suborder Callionymoidei (dragonets)
•  
  Family Callionymidae (dragonets and scotter blennies)
•  
  Family Draconettidae
•  
  Suborder Channoidei
•  
  Family Channidae (snakeheads)
•  
  Suborder Elassomatoidei
•  
  Family Elassomatidae (pygmy sunfishes)
•  
  Family Ephippidae (spadefishes)
•  
  Suborder Gobiesocoidei
•  
  Family Gobiesocidae (clingfishes)
•  
  Suborder Gobioidei (gobies)
•  
  Family Eleotridae (sleepers)
•  
  Family Gobiidae (gobies and true gobies)
•  
  Family Gobioididae (eellike gobies)
•  
  Family Kraemeriidae (sand fishes, sand gobies, and sandfishes)
•  
  Family Microdesmidae (dartfishes and wormfishes)
•  
  Family Odontobutidae
•  
  Family Rhyacichthyidae (loach gobies)
•  
  Family Schindleriidae
•  
  Family Trypauchenidae (burrowing gobies)
•  
  Family Xenisthmidae
•  
  Suborder Icosteoidei
•  
  Family Icosteidae (ragfishes)
•  
  Suborder Kurtoidei (forehead brooders)
•  
  Family Kurtidae (bump heads and forehead brooders)
•  
  Suborder Labroidei (parrotfishes, rainbowfishes, and wrasses)
•  
  Family Cichlidae (cichlids)
•  
  Family Embiotocidae (surf perches and surfperches)
•  
  Family Labridae (parrotfishes, rainbowfishes, and wrasses)
•  
  Family Odacidae
•  
  Family Pomacentridae (damselfishes)
•  
  Family Scaridae (parrotfishes)
•  
  Suborder Luciocephaloidei (pikeheads)
•  
  Suborder Mugiloidei (mullets)
•  
  Suborder Notothenioidei (Antarctic blennies)
•  
  Family Bathydraconidae (Antarctic dragonfishes and dragonfishes)
•  
  Family Bovichthyidae
•  
  Family Channichthyidae (crocodile icefishes and icefishes)
•  
  Family Harpagiferidae
•  
  Family Nototheniidae (Antarctic blennies)
•  
  Suborder Percoidei
•  
  Family Acanthoclinidae
•  
  Family Acropomatidae (lanterbellies and lanternbellies)
•  
  Family Anisochromidae
•  
  Family Aplodactylidae
•  
  Family Apogonidae (cardinalfishes)
•  
  Family Apolectidae
•  
  Family Arripididae (jewfishes)
•  
  Family Banjosidae
•  
  Family Bathyclupeidae (deepsea herrings)
•  
  Family Bramidae (pomfrets)
•  
  Family Callanthiidae
•  
  Family Carangidae (jacks and pompanos)
•  
  Family Caristiidae (manefishes)
•  
  Family Centracanthidae
•  
  Family Centrarchidae (sunfish and sunfishes)
•  
  Family Centropomidae (snooks)
•  
  Family Cepolidae (red bandfishes)
•  
  Family Chaetodontidae (butterflyfishes)
•  
  Family Chandidae (Asiatic glassfishes)
•  
  Family Cheilodactylidae (jackassfishes and morwongs)
•  
  Family Chironemidae (kelpfishes)
•  
  Family Cirrhitidae (hawkfishes)
•  
  Family Coracinidae (galjoen fishes)
•  
  Family Coryphaenidae (dolphins and dorados)
•  
  Family Dinolestidae
•  
  Family Dinopercidae
•  
  Family Drepanidae
•  
  Family Echeneidae (remoras and sharksuckers)
•  
  Family Emmelichthyidae (bonnetmouths)
•  
  Family Enoplosidae
•  
  Family Ephippididae (batfishes and spadefishes)
•  
  Family Epigonidae
•  
  Family Gadopsidae (river blackfishes)
•  
  Family Gerreidae (mojarras)
•  
  Family Glaucosomatidae
•  
  Family Grammatidae
•  
  Family Grammidae (fairy basslets)
•  
  Family Grammistidae (soapfishes)
•  
  Family Gregoryinidae
•  
  Family Haemulidae (grunts)
•  
  Family Inermiidae
•  
  Family Kuhliidae (aholeholes, flagtails, and mountain basses)
•  
  Family Kyphosidae (pilotfishes, rudderfishes, and sea chubs)
•  
  Family Labracoglossidae
•  
  Family Lactariidae (milkfishes)
•  
  Family Latrididae (trumpeters)
•  
  Family Leiognathidae (ponyfishes)
•  
  Family Leptobramidae
•  
  Family Lethrinidae (porgies, rudderfishes, and scavengers)
•  
  Family Lobotidae (flashers and tripletails)
•  
  Family Lutjanidae (sea perches and snappers)
•  
  Family Malacanthidae (tilefishes)
•  
  Family Menidae (moonfishes and ponyfishes)
•  
  Family Monodactylidae (fingerfishes, moonfishes, and silver angelfishes)
•  
  Family Moronidae (temperate basses)
•  
  Family Mullidae (goat fishes)
•  
  Family Nandidae (leaffishes and nandus)
•  
  Family Nematistiidae
•  
  Family Nemipteridae (false snappers)
•  
  Family Notograptidae
•  
  Family Opistognathidae (jawfishes and smilers)
•  
  Family Oplegnathidae (knifejaws)
•  
  Family Ostracoberycidae
•  
  Family Owstoniidae (deepsea jawfishes)
•  
  Family Pempherididae (sweepers)
•  
  Family Pentacerotidae (armorheads and boarfishes)
•  
  Family Pentapodidae (barenoses and large-eyed breams)
•  
  Family Percichthyidae (temperate basses)
•  
  Family Percidae (perches and true perches)
•  
  Family Plesiopidae
•  
  Family Polynemidae (threadfins)
•  
  Family Pomacanthidae (angelfishes)
•  
  Family Pomatomidae (bluefishes)
•  
  Family Priacanthidae (bigeyes and catalufas)
•  
  Family Pseudochromidae
•  
  Family Pseudogrammidae
•  
  Family Pseudoplesiopidae
•  
  Family Rachycentridae (cobias)
•  
  Family Rhinoprenidae (threadfin scats)
•  
  Family Sciaenidae (croakers, drums, and roncadores)
•  
  Family Serranidae (groupers and sea basses)
•  
  Family Sillaginidae (sillagos, smelts, and whitings)
•  
  Family Sparidae (porgies)
•  
  Family Teraponidae (tigerfishes)
•  
  Family Toxotidae (archerfishes)
•  
  Suborder Polynemoidei (tasselfishes and threadfins)
•  
  Suborder Schindlerioidei
•  
  Suborder Scombroidei (albacores, billfishes, bonitos, mackerels, ribbonfishes, sailfishes, swordfishes, and tunas)
•  
  Family Gempylidae (snake mackerels)
•  
  Family Istiophoridae (billfishes, marlins, sailfishes, and spearfishes)
•  
  Family Scombridae (albacores, bonitos, mackerels, and tunas)
•  
  Family Sphyraenidae (barracudas)
•  
  Family Trichiuridae (cutlassfishes, hairtails, and ribbonfishes)
•  
  Family Xiphiidae (swordfishes)
•  
  Suborder Scombrolabracoidei
•  
  Family Scombrolabracidae
•  
  Suborder Sphyraenoidei (barracudas)
•  
  Suborder Stromateoidei (butterfishes and harvestfishes)
•  
  Family Amarsipidae
•  
  Family Ariommatidae
•  
  Family Centrolophidae (rudderfishes)
•  
  Family Nomeidae (driftfishes, man-of-war fishes, and shepherdfishes)
•  
  Family Stromateidae (butterfishes, harvestfishes, and rudderfishes)
•  
  Family Tetragonuridae (squaretails)
•  
  Suborder Trachinoidei (stargazers and weevers)
•  
  Family Ammodytidae (sabd lances and sand lances)
•  
  Family Champsodontidae (benttooths and gapers)
•  
  Family Cheimarrhichthyidae (shark bullies and torrent fishes)
•  
  Family Chiasmodontidae (black swallowers and deepsea swallowers)
•  
  Family Creediidae (burrowers and gapers)
•  
  Family Leptoscopidae
•  
  Family Limnichthyidae (sand submarines)
•  
  Family Mugiloididae (grubfishes, sandsmelts, and weevers)
•  
  Family Oxudercidae
•  
  Family Percophididae (flatheads and flatnoses)
•  
  Family Pholidichthyidae
•  
  Family Pinguipedidae
•  
  Family Trachinidae (true weevers and weeverfishes)
•  
  Family Trichodontidae (sandfishes)
•  
  Family Trichonotidae (sand divers and sand eels)
•  
  Family Uranoscopidae (stargazers)
•  
  Suborder Zoarcoidei
•  
  Family Anarhichadidae (wolffishes)
•  
  Family Bathymasteridae (ronquils)
•  
  Family Cryptacanthodidae
•  
  Family Pholidae (gunnels)
•  
  Family Ptilichthyidae (quillfishes)
•  
  Family Scytalinidae (graveldivers)
•  
  Family Stichaeidae (pricklebacks and shannies)
•  
  Family Zaproridae (prowfishes)
•  
  Family Zoarcidae (eelpouts and viviparous blennies)