''Parascolopsis'', the dwarf monocle breams, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

es belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Nemipteridae Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams, whiptail breams, or Sultan Ibrahim, is a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes. These fishes are found in the Indo-West Pacific region. Taxonomy Nemipteridae was first proposed ...

, the threadfin breams. These fishes are found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region.

Taxonomy

''Parascolopsis'' was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1901 by the Belgian-born British ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger when he described its only species, ''Parascolopsis townsendi'' from the Sea of Oman. The 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

'' classifies ''Parascolopsis'' within the family Nemipteridae which it places in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Spariformes Spariformes is an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of six families within the series Percomorpha. Taxonomy Spariformes was first used as a taxonomic term in 1860 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. Trad ...

Etymology

''Parascolopsis'' is a combination of ''para'', which means "near" and ''

Scolopsis ''Scolopsis'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams. These fishes are found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Scolopsis'' was first propose ...

'', Boulenger wrote that this genus "agrees in every respect", apart from the absence of a surborbital spine.

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Parascolopsis akatamae'' Miyamoto,

McMahan McMahan is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alan McMahan, Christian theologian *Brian McMahan (born 1969), American guitarist * Chad McMahan (born 1972), American politician * Jack McMahan (1932–2020), American baseball playe ...

, &

Kaneko , stylized as KANEJapanese

Parascolopsis aspinosa'' ( M. Rao & S. Rao, 1981) (smooth dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis baranesi'' B. C. Russell & Golani, 1993 (Baranes's dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis boesemani'' (M. Rao & S. Rao, 1981) (redfin dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis capitinis'' B. C. Russell, 1996 (Large-head threadfin bream) * '' Parascolopsis eriomma'' (

D. S. Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Universi ...

& R. E. Richardson, 1909) (rosy dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis inermis'' (

Temminck Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch patrician, zoologist and museum director. Biography Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. From his father, Jacob ...

Schlegel Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), American football player * August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, brother of Friedrich * Brad Schlegel (born 1968), C ...

, 1843) (unarmed dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis melanophrys'' B. C. Russell & P. K. Chin, 1996 (dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis qantasi'' B. C. Russell & Gloerfelt-Tarp, 1984 (slender dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis rufomaculata'' B. C. Russell, 1986 (red-spot dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis tanyactis'' B. C. Russell, 1986 (long-rayed dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis tosensis'' ( Kamohara, 1938) (Tosa dwarf monocle bream) * '' Parascolopsis townsendi'' Boulenger, 1901 (scaly dwarf monocle bream)

Characteristics

''Parascolopsis'' differs from the other genera in the family Nemipteridae by the suborbital spine being either poorly developed or absent and by having between 4 and 6 transverse scale rows on the

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

. Other characteristics include the second

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

spine typically being longer and more robust than the spines either side of it. The

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

is emarginate. The scales on the crown extend to the middle of the eyes or to rear nostrils. The suborbital region may be scaled or naked and its rear edge may be smooth, toothed or finely serrated. The operculum is scaly with a small, flat, enclosed spine in its upper margin. These are medium-sized fishes with the smallest species, ''P. tosensis'' having a maximum published

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

s of , while the largest, ''P. eriomma'', has a maximum published

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of .

Distribution and habitat

''Parascolopsis'' monocle breams are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans occurring on muddy or sandy substrates, typically in offshore waters of the continental shelf, as deep as around .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q775026 Nemipteridae Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Spariform fish genera