ginglymodi

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. An order of fishes, of the subclass Ganoidea. They are characterized by a bony skeleton, opisthocœlous vertebræ, a precoracoid arch and coronoid bone, heterocercal tail, the basilar fin-bones rudimentary, the fins with imbricated fulcra, the ventrals between the pectorals and anal, and the body closely covered with rhomboid scales. The order comprehends the existing family Lepidosteidæ, containing the fishes known in the United States as gars, garpikes, garfishes, alligator-gars, bill-fishes, etc., and several extinct ones. E. D. Cope. Also called Rhomboganoidei.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) An order of ganoid fishes, including the modern gar pikes and many allied fossil forms. They have rhombic, ganoid scales, a heterocercal tail, paired fins without an axis, fulcra on the fins, and a bony skeleton, with the vertebræ convex in front and concave behind, forming a ball and socket joint. See ganoidel.