Amiidae

---

title: "Amiidae" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["amioidea", "extant-jurassic-first-appearances", "taxa-named-by-charles-lucien-bonaparte", "ray-finned-fish-families"] description: "Family of ray-finned fishes" topic_path: "general/amioidea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiidae" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Family of ray-finned fishes ::

| oldest_fossil = Late Jurassic | image = Amia calva1.jpg | image_caption = Bowfin | image2 = Amiopsis lepidota 2.jpg | image2_caption = Amiopsis (Late Jurassic, Germany) | taxon = Amiidae | authority = Bonaparte, 1838 | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = See text

The Amiidae are a family of basal ray-finned fishes. The bowfin and the eyespot bowfin (Amia ocellicauda) are the only two species to survive today, although additional species in all four subfamilies of Amiidae are known from Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Eocene fossils.

Bowfins are now found throughout eastern North America, typically in slow-moving backwaters, canals, and ox-bow lakes. When the oxygen level is low (as often happens in still waters), the bowfin can rise to the surface and gulp air into its swim bladder, which is lined with blood vessels and can serve as a primitive lung. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Cyclurus_kehreri_001.jpg" caption="Cyclurus kehreri]]'' fossil from the [[Eocene]] of Germany"] ::

Amiidae is a monophyletic group that has numerous synapomorphic characters. Amiidae were widespread and particularly rich in species during the Eocene era. During this era, they appeared to be confined almost exclusively to fresh water.

Taxonomy

The family is divided into five subfamilies, with 16 genera

• Amiidae
  • Subfamily Amiinae (latest Cretaceous -Present)
    • Genus Amia
    • Genus †Cyclurus
    • Genus †Pseudoamiatus
  • Subfamily †Amiopsinae (Late Jurassic)
    • Genus †Amiopsis
  • Subfamily †Solnhofenamiinae (Late Jurassic)
    • Genus †Solnhofenamia
  • Subfamily †Vidalamiinae (Early Cretaceous)
    • Genus †Calamopleurus
    • Genus †Maliamia
    • Genus †Melvius
    • Genus †Pachyamia
    • Genus †Vidalamia
  • Subfamily incertae sedis
    • Genus †Lehmanamia
    • Genus †Nipponamia
    • Genus †Hispanamia
  • Subfamily †Sinamiinae (Early Cretaceous)
    • Genus †Siamamia
    • Genus †Khoratamia
    • Genus †Sinamia
    • Genus †Ikechaoamia

References

References

1. (1998). "A Comprehensive Phylogenetic Study of Amiid Fishes (Amiidae) Based on Comparative Skeletal Anatomy. An Empirical Search for Interconnected Patterns of Natural History". Memoir (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology).
2. Friedman, Matt. (January 2016). "The English Chalk and London Clay: two remarkable British bony fish Lagerstätten". Geological Society, London, Special Publications.
3. "Lehmanamia sheppeyensis – London Clay Fossils".
4. Deesri, U.; Naksri, W.; Jintasakul, P.; Noda, Y.; Yukawa, H.; Hossny, T.E.; Cavin, L. A New Sinamiin Fish (Actinopterygii) from the Early Cretaceous of Thailand: Implications on the Evolutionary History of the Amiid Lineage. Diversity 2023, 15, 491. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040491

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::