• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

• Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

• Ray-finned Fishes (Class Actinopterygii)

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Class Actinopterygii comprises the ray-finned fishes, the largest and most diverse class of vertebrates, with more than 35,000 living species representing over half of all known vertebrate species. Members of this class are distinguished by fins supported by flexible bony rays rather than the fleshy lobes found in lobe-finned fishes. Ray-finned fishes occupy virtually every aquatic habitat on Earth, from freshwater rivers, lakes, and wetlands to coral reefs, coastal estuaries, the open ocean, and the deepest marine trenches.