''Polysteganus'' 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
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 ...
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 ...
Sparidae
Sparidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes, the seabreams and porgies, although they were traditionally classified in the order Perciformes. The over 150 species are found in shallow and deep marine waters in t ...
, which includes the seabreams and porgies. The fishes in this genus are found in the Indian Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Polysteganus'' was first proposed as a
subgenus
In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...
of ''
Dentex'' in 1870 by the German
zoologist
Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
Carl Benjamin Klunzinger
Carl Benjamin Klunzinger (18 November 1834, in Güglingen – 21 June 1914, in Stuttgart) was a German physician and zoologist.
He studied medicine at the Universities of University of Tübingen, Tübingen and University of Würzburg, Würzb ...
when he
described ''Dentex (Polysteganus) coeruleopunctatus''. In 1919
David Starr 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 ...
formally designated ''D. (P.) coeruleopunctatus'' as the
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of ''Polysteganus''.
[ This genus is placed in the family Sparidae within 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 ...
by 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 ...
''.[
]
Etymology
''Polysteganus'' is a combination of ''poly'', meaning ”many”, and ''steganus'', meaning “covered”, a reference to the scales between the eyes extend as far as a level with the front edge of the eyes.
Species
''Polysteganus'' contains 8 recognised species:[Iwatsuki, Y. & Heemstra, P.C. (2015): Redescriptions of ''Polysteganus coeruleopunctatus'' (Klunzinger 1870) and ''P. lineopunctatus'' (Boulenger 1903), with two new species from Western Indian Ocean. ''Zootaxa, 4059 (1): 133–150.''] (Cherry seabream)
* '' Polysteganus coeruleopunctatus'' ( Klunzinger, 1870) (blue-skin seabream) [
* '']Polysteganus flavodorsalis
''Polysteganus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. The fishes in this genus are found in the Indian Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Polysteganus'' was first proposed as a subgenus of '' D ...
'' Iwatsuki & Heemstra, 2015 [ (Yellow seabream)
* '']Polysteganus lineopunctatus
''Polysteganus'' is a genus of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish belonging to the family (biology), family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. The fishes in this genus are found in the Indian Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Polysteganus'' was fi ...
'' ( Boulenger, 1903) [ (Bluespotted seabream)
* '']Polysteganus mascarenensis
''Polysteganus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. The fishes in this genus are found in the Indian Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Polysteganus'' was first proposed as a subgenus of '' D ...
'' Iwatsuki & Heemstra, 2011 (Mascarene red seabream)
* '' Polysteganus praeorbitalis'' ( Günther, 1859) (Scotsman seabream)
* '' Polysteganus undulosus'' ( Regan, 1908) (seventy-four seabream)
Characteristics
''Polysteganus'' seabreams typically have 12, although it is sometimes 11, spines supporting the dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...
. The space between the eyes and the flange of 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
...
are scaly while the bases of the dorsal and 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 ...
are not fleshy. The canine-like teeth in the front of the jaws, 6 on the lower jaw and 4 on the upper jaw, are not well developed, although in ''P. baissaci'' each jaw has 4 canines at its front. The lower jaw has no molar-like teeth.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 while, with a maximum published total length of , the cherry seabream (''P. cerasinus'') is the smallest.[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Polysteganus'' seabreams are only found in the Western Indian Ocean from the Red Sea south to as far as Knysna
Knysna (; ) is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It is situated 60 kilometres east of the c ...
in the Western Cape and around Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Mascarene Islands
The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their na ...
. They live at depths greater than over sandy substrates and reefs.[
]
Fisheries
''Polysteganus'' has one species, ''P. coeruleopunctatus'', which is a commercially important species in East Africa.[ Another species ''P. undulosus'', which has been overfished in South Africa where a moratorium on fishing was put in place and since then there has been some indication of a recovery in the stocks, such as increased numbers of juveniles being seen in nursery areas.]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2250858
Sparidae
Taxa named by Carl Benjamin Klunzinger
Marine fish genera
Spariform fish genera