The Zeiformes  are a small order of marine ray-finned fishes most notable for the dories, a group of common food fish.
The order consists of about 33 species in seven families, mostly deep-sea types.
Zeiform bodies are usually thin and deep.
Mouths are large, with distensible jaws, and there is no orbitosphenoid.
Pelvic fins have 5–10 soft rays and possibly a spine, 5–10 dorsal fin spines and up to 4 anal fin spines.
They range in size from the dwarf dory (Macrurocyttus acanthopodus), at  in length, to the Cape dory (Zeus capensis), which measures up to .
The boarfishes (Caproidae) have been included in this order though they are currently included in the Perciformes.
Families
Family Cyttidae (lookdown dories)
Family Grammicolepididae (tinselfishes)
Family Oreosomatidae (oreos)
Family Parazenidae (parazens)
Family Sorbinipercidae (extinct)
Family Zeidae (dories)
Family Zenionidae (zeniontids) (formerly known as Macrurocyttidae)
Family Bajaichthyidae (extinct, Bajaichthys elegans)
Timeline of genera
ImageSize  = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea   = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px
Period      = from:-145.5 till:10 TimeAxis    = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor  = unit:year increment:10 start:-145.5 ScaleMinor  = unit:year increment:1 start:-145.5 TimeAxis    = orientation:hor AlignBars   = justify
Colors =  #legends   id:CAR	  value:claret   id:ANK 	 value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196)   id:HER	  value:teal   id:HAD	  value:green   id:OMN	  value:blue   id:black        value:black   id:white        value:white   id:cretaceous   value:rgb(0.5,0.78,0.31)   id:earlycretaceous   value:rgb(0.63,0.78,0.65)   id:latecretaceous   value:rgb(0.74,0.82,0.37)   id:cenozoic     value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258)   id:paleogene     value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32)    id:paleocene     value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37)    id:eocene     value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42)    id:oligocene     value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48)    id:neogene     value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1)    id:miocene     value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0)    id:pliocene     value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68)     id:quaternary   value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5)   id:pleistocene   value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68)   id:holocene   value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88)
BarData=  bar:eratop  bar:space  bar:periodtop  bar:space  bar:NAM1  bar:NAM2  bar:NAM3  bar:NAM4  bar:NAM5  bar:NAM6  bar:NAM7  bar:NAM8  bar:NAM9
bar:space  bar:period  bar:space  bar:era
PlotData=  align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25   shift:(7,-4)
bar:periodtop  from: -145.5    till: -99.6    color:earlycretaceous    text:[[Early Cretaceous|Early]]  from: -99.6    till: -65.5    color:latecretaceous    text:[[Late Cretaceous|Late]]  from: -65.5   till:  -55.8    color:paleocene  text:[[Paleocene|Paleo.]]  from: -55.8   till:  -33.9    color:eocene  text:[[Eocene|Eo.]]   from: -33.9   till:  -23.03    color:oligocene  text:[[Oligocene|Oligo.]]              from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:[[Miocene|Mio.]]  from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:[[Pliocene|Pl.]]  from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:[[Pleistocene|Pl.]]  from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:[[Holocene|H.]]
bar:eratop  from: -145.5    till: -65.5   color:cretaceous    text:[[Cretaceous]]  from: -65.5   till:  -23.03    color:paleogene  text:[[Paleogene]]           from: -23.03    till: -2.588    color:neogene    text:[[Neogene]]  from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:[[Quaternary|Q.]]
PlotData=  align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left
color:latecretaceous bar:NAM1  from:-99.6    till:-93.5 text:[[Microcapros]]  color:latecretaceous bar:NAM2  from:-99.6    till:-93.5 text:[[Palaeocyttus]]  color:eocene bar:NAM3  from:-55.8    till:0 text:[[Antigonia (fish genus)|Antigonia]]  color:oligocene bar:NAM4 from:-33.9    till:-28.4 text:[[Cyttoides]]  color:oligocene bar:NAM5 from:-33.9    till:-11.608 text:[[Caprovesposus]]  color:oligocene bar:NAM6 from:-33.9    till:0 text:[[Capros]]  color:oligocene bar:NAM7 from:-33.9    till:0 text:[[Zenopsis]]  color:oligocene bar:NAM8  from:-33.9    till:0 text:[[Zeus (fish)|Zeus]]  color:pliocene bar:NAM9  from:-5.332    till:0 text:[[Zenion]]
PlotData=  align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25
bar:period  from: -145.5    till: -99.6    color:earlycretaceous    text:[[Early Cretaceous|Early]]  from: -99.6    till: -65.5    color:latecretaceous    text:[[Late Cretaceous|Late]]  from: -65.5   till:  -55.8    color:paleocene  text:[[Paleocene|Paleo.]]  from: -55.8   till:  -33.9    color:eocene  text:[[Eocene|Eo.]]   from: -33.9   till:  -23.03    color:oligocene  text:[[Oligocene|Oligo.]]              from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:[[Miocene|Mio.]]  from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:[[Pliocene|Pl.]]  from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:[[Pleistocene|Pl.]]  from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:[[Holocene|H.]]
bar:era  from: -145.5    till: -65.5   color:cretaceous    text:[[Cretaceous]]  from: -65.5   till:  -23.03    color:paleogene  text:[[Paleogene]]           from: -23.03    till: -2.588    color:neogene    text:[[Neogene]]  from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:[[Quaternary|Q.]]
References
J.S. Nelson, Fishes of the World
