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Esocoidei
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<h2 id="taxonomy">Taxonomy</h2> <p>In the past, they were often placed in the order Salmoniformes as the suborder Esocoidei.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> During the early 21st century, due to their morphological divergence from Salmoniformes, they were instead treated as their own order, Esociformes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> However, as phylogenetic studies have increasingly affirmed the relationship of Salmoniformes and Esociformes, more recent taxonomic authorities have revived the old classification of placing esocoids as a suborder of the Salmoniformes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>The following families are placed in this group:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Suborder Esocoidei <ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Esocidae/pm91tuz9">Esocidae</a> <a href="/facts/Constantine_Samuel_Rafinesque/d7XBK7x5">Rafinesque</a>, 1815 - pikes <ul><li>Subfamily <a href="/facts/Dallia/oBw2AnRr">Dalliinae</a> <a href="/facts/David_Starr_Jordan/qLNo5UIR">Jordan</a>, 1885 - blackfishes</li> <li>Subfamily <a href="/facts/Esocidae/pm91tuz9">Esocinae</a> Rafinesque, 1815 - pikes</li></ul></li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Umbridae/2QpGCav1">Umbridae</a> <a href="/facts/Charles_Lucien_Bonaparte/PunLn0Xz">Bonaparte</a>, 1845 - mudminnows</li></ul></li></ul> <p>Two <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossil</a> genera from the <a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a> of North America are also considered <a href="/facts/Basal_(phylogenetics)/JQPQXpYg">basal</a> members of this group: †<i>Estesesox</i> Wilson, Brinkman & Neuman, 1992 and †<i>Oldmanesox</i> Wilson, Brinkman & Neuman, 1992. Their presence makes esocids one of the few North American freshwater teleost groups to have diversified prior to the <a href="/facts/Cretaceous%25E2%2580%2593Paleogene_extinction_event/HNyDuEcx">Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p><p>The three extant esocid genera (<i><a href="/facts/Esox/VlyCCQVB">Esox</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Novumbra/QYxwHauB">Novumbra</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Dallia/oBw2AnRr">Dallia</a></i>) together comprise a <a href="/facts/Holarctic_realm/uNgFyNx9">holarctic</a> distribution. Two additional genera have been described from fossils dating to the Cretaceous of North America.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> <i><a href="/facts/Umbra_(fish)/db5omE8Q">Umbra</a></i> remains the only extant genus in the family <a href="/facts/Umbridae/2QpGCav1">Umbridae</a>, and can be found in eastern North America and Europe. Three additional genera have been described from fossils dating from the <a href="/facts/Paleocene/IWWoh8D9">Paleocene</a> of Europe; however, genetic studies on the extant species of <i>Umbra</i> have recovered a split between the North American and European species dating to the <a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a> and earliest half of the <a href="/facts/Paleogene/CNsEpdA4">Paleogene</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p> <h3>Relationships</h3><p> While the family Esocidae traditionally only contained the genus Esox, recent genetic and paleontological research have recovered <i>Novumbra</i> and <i>Dallia</i> as members of the family Esocidae, being closer related to <i>Esox</i> than <i>Umbra</i>. <i>Umbra</i> is the only remaining extant species in Umbridae.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> Various fossils have been described as members of Esociformes and are placed on the following tree accordingly.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a></p> <table><tbody><tr><td>Esocoidei</td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>†<i>Oldmanesox</i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>†<i>Estesesox</i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Esocidae/pm91tuz9">Esocidae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Esox/VlyCCQVB">Esox</a></i> </p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Novumbra/QYxwHauB">Novumbra</a></i> </p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Dallia/oBw2AnRr">Dallia</a></i> </p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Umbridae/2QpGCav1">Umbridae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>†<i>Boltyshia</i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>†<i>Palaeoesox</i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>†<i>Proumbra</i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Umbra_(fish)/db5omE8Q">Umbra</a></i> </p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Rainer_Froese/YSvh9csS">Froese, Rainer</a>; <a href="/facts/Daniel_Pauly/0JsBKSFT">Pauly, Daniel</a> (eds.). <a href="http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/OrdersSummary.php?order=Esociformes">"Order Esociformes"</a>. <i><a href="/facts/FishBase/SMpzPGmF">FishBase</a></i>. October 2004 version.</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10. <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification" target="_blank">https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Robison, Henry W.; Buchanan, Thomas M. (11 March 2020). Fishes of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-68226-103-3. <a href="978-1-68226-103-3" target="_blank">978-1-68226-103-3</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1). doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN 0079-032X. <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full" target="_blank">https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Wilson, Mark V. H.; Brinkman, Donald B.; Neuman, Andrew G. (1992). "Cretaceous Esocoidei (Teleostei): early radiation of the pikes in North American fresh waters". Journal of Paleontology. 66 (5): 839–846. doi:10.1017/S0022336000020849. ISSN 0022-3360. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/cretaceous-esocoidei-teleostei-early-radiation-of-the-pikes-in-north-american-fresh-waters/1886085B088AD3F7381EF8047E0A3835" target="_blank">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/cretaceous-esocoidei-teleostei-early-radiation-of-the-pikes-in-north-american-fresh-waters/1886085B088AD3F7381EF8047E0A3835</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Pan, Qiaowei; Feron, Romain; Jouanno, Elodie; Darras, Hugo; Herpin, Amaury; Koop, Ben; Rondeau, Eric; Goetz, Frederick W.; Larson, Wesley A.; Bernatchez, Louis; Tringali, Mike; Curran, Stephen S.; Saillant, Eric; Denys, Gael Pj; von Hippel, Frank A. (2021). "The rise and fall of the ancient northern pike master sex-determining gene". eLife. 10: e62858. doi:10.7554/eLife.62858. PMC 7870143. PMID 33506762. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7870143" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7870143</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Wilson, Mark V. H.; Brinkman, Donald B.; Neuman, Andrew G. (1992). "Cretaceous Esocoidei (Teleostei): early radiation of the pikes in North American fresh waters". Journal of Paleontology. 66 (5): 839–846. doi:10.1017/S0022336000020849. ISSN 0022-3360. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/cretaceous-esocoidei-teleostei-early-radiation-of-the-pikes-in-north-american-fresh-waters/1886085B088AD3F7381EF8047E0A3835" target="_blank">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/cretaceous-esocoidei-teleostei-early-radiation-of-the-pikes-in-north-american-fresh-waters/1886085B088AD3F7381EF8047E0A3835</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 348. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-02-23. <a href="978-1-118-34233-6" target="_blank">978-1-118-34233-6</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10. <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification" target="_blank">https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1). doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN 0079-032X. <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full" target="_blank">https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10. <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification" target="_blank">https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1). doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN 0079-032X. <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full" target="_blank">https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Wilson, Mark V. H.; Brinkman, Donald B.; Neuman, Andrew G. (1992). "Cretaceous Esocoidei (Teleostei): early radiation of the pikes in North American fresh waters". Journal of Paleontology. 66 (5): 839–846. doi:10.1017/S0022336000020849. ISSN 0022-3360. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/cretaceous-esocoidei-teleostei-early-radiation-of-the-pikes-in-north-american-fresh-waters/1886085B088AD3F7381EF8047E0A3835" target="_blank">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/cretaceous-esocoidei-teleostei-early-radiation-of-the-pikes-in-north-american-fresh-waters/1886085B088AD3F7381EF8047E0A3835</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Wilson, M.; Brinkman, D.; Neuman, A. (1992). "Cretaceous Esocoidei (Teleostei): early radiation of the pikes in North American fresh waters". Journal of Paleontology. 66 (5): 839–846. Bibcode:1992JPal...66..839W. doi:10.1017/S0022336000020849. S2CID 132270276. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Marić, Saša; Stanković, David; Wanzenböck, Josef; Šanda, Radek; Erős, Tibor; Takács, Péter; Specziár, András; Sekulić, Nenad; Bănăduc, Doru; Ćaleta, Marko; Trombitsky, Ilya (May 2017). "Phylogeography and population genetics of the European mudminnow (Umbra krameri) with a time-calibrated phylogeny for the family Umbridae". Hydrobiologia. 792 (1): 151–168. doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3051-9. ISSN 0018-8158. S2CID 254550945. <a href="http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10750-016-3051-9" target="_blank">http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10750-016-3051-9</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Marić, Saša; Stanković, David; Wanzenböck, Josef; Šanda, Radek; Erős, Tibor; Takács, Péter; Specziár, András; Sekulić, Nenad; Bănăduc, Doru; Ćaleta, Marko; Trombitsky, Ilya (May 2017). "Phylogeography and population genetics of the European mudminnow (Umbra krameri) with a time-calibrated phylogeny for the family Umbridae". Hydrobiologia. 792 (1): 151–168. doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3051-9. ISSN 0018-8158. S2CID 254550945. <a href="http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10750-016-3051-9" target="_blank">http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10750-016-3051-9</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1). doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN 0079-032X. <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full" target="_blank">https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-peabody-museum-of-natural-history/volume-65/issue-1/014.065.0101/Phylogenetic-Classification-of-Living-and-Fossil-Ray-Finned-Fishes-Actinopterygii/10.3374/014.065.0101.full</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>