All members of the detachment (except for the Adrianichtiev family) have an elongated body covered with cycloid scales . The jaws are long, of equal length (sargan), or the lower jaw is much longer than the upper (half fishery). For many representatives, a metamorphosis of the jaws is characteristic, when in young the lower jaw is longer than the upper, and in adults, the jaw is of equal length.
Belonging to the detachment is based on the structure and location of the bones of the head. Lack of interginal leads to loss of movement of the premaxilla bones and restriction of mobility of the gill apparatus. The upper jaw is fixed and non-protruding. There are no inter-cartilage cartilage, orbitosphenoid and mezococcodia (one of the bones of the pectoral fin bones). Dorsal and anal fins shifted to the caudal fin. The ventral fins are located in the back of the body on the belly. In the upper lobe of the caudal fin there are fewer main rays than in the lower [4] [1] [5] .
Lateral line is displaced to the lower part of the body or absent. The swim bladder is not connected to the intestine by the air channel.
Marine species have a typical schooling pelagic lifestyle. Perform daily vertical migrations . Some species make extended seasonal migrations. Among freshwater species, both schooling pelagic and single territorial ones are noted.
Among the representatives of the order there are both plankton-eating species, and herbivorous, carnivorous and carnivorous. Some species can switch from carnivorous to herbivorous feeding, depending on the time of day or season of the year [6] .
According to the type of reproduction in the detachment, almost all forms are represented: with internal and external fertilization, egg-laying, egg-breeding and viviparous with various types of connection of the embryo with the mother's body.
Widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Most species are marine, living both in the coastal area and in open ocean waters, mainly in the surface layers. However, about a third of all species inhabit brackish and freshwater bodies.
In the detachment of sarganoids, there are two sub-orders with 6 families, including 34 genera and 283 species [3] :
- Suborder Adrianichthyoidei - Adriannhis [1]
- Family Adrianichthyidae Weber , 1913 - Adrianchium
- Suborder Exocoetoidei [ syn. Belonoidei - Sargan [1] ]
- Superfamily Exocoetoidea - Two-winged [1]
- Family Exocoetidae Klein , 1885 - Flying fish , or two-winged
- Family Hemiramphidae Gill , 1859 - Polurylovye
- Zenarchopteridae Family
- Superfamily Scomberesocoidea - Macroscale-like [1]
- Family Belonidae Bonaparte , 1832 - Sarganov [1] [2]
- Scomberesocidae Müller family , 1843 - Macroscale