Leiognathidae, the ponyfishes, slipmouths or slimys / slimies, are a small family of fishes in the order Perciformes. They inhabit marine and brackish waters in the Indian and West Pacific Oceans. They can be used in the preparation of bagoong. Characteristics Ponyfishes are small and laterally compressed in shape, with a bland, silvery colouration. They are distinguished by highly extensible mouths, and the presence of a mechanism for locking the spines in the dorsal and anal fins. They also possess a highly integrated light organ in their throats that houses symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria that project light through the animal's underside. Typically, the harbored bacterium is only Photobacterium leiognathi, but in the two ponyfish species Photopectoralis panayensis and Photopectoralis bindus, Photobacterium mandapamensis is also present. Two of the most widely studied uses for luminescence in ponyfish are camouflage by ventral counterillumination and species-specific sexual dimorphism. Although ponyfish seem quite ordinary and morphologically similar, their light organ systems are highly variable across species and often between sexes. Taxonomy Leiognathidae is classified within the suborder Percoideiby the 5th edition of Fishes of the World, but they are placed in an unnamed clade which sits outside the superfamily Percoidea. This clade contains 7 families which appear to have some relationship to Acanthuroidei, Monodactylidae, and Priacanthidae. Other authorities have paced the family in the order Chaetodontiformes alongside the family Chaetodontidae. Timeline of genera Genera The following genera are classified within the Leiognathidae: Aurigequula Fowler, 1918 Equulites Fowler, 1904 Eubleekeria Fowler, 1904 Gazza Rüppell, 1835 Karalla Chakrabarty & Sparks, 2008 Leiognathus Lacepède, 1802 Nuchequula Whitley, 1932 Photolateralis Sparks & Chakrabarty, 2015 Photopectoralis Sparks, Dunlap & Smith, 2005 Secutor Gistel, 1848 References Percoidei Bioluminescent fish Ray-finned fish families Extant Eocene first appearances