Perciformes
| Perciformes Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Top: Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) Bottom: Red velvetfish (Gnathanacanthus goetzeei) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Clade: | Eupercaria |
| Order: | Perciformes Bleeker, 1863 |
| Type species | |
| Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Suborders | |
Perciformes (/ˈpɜːrsɪˌfɔːrmiːz/), also called the Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish in the clade Percomorpha. Perciformes means "perch-like". Among the well-known members of this group are perches and darters (Percidae), and also sea basses and groupers (Serranidae). This order contains many familiar freshwater temperate and tropical marine fish groups, but also extremophiles that have successfully colonized both the North and South Poles, as well as the deepest depths of the ocean.