The Scorpaeniformes are a diverse

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 ...

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 ...

, including the

lionfish ''Pterois'' is a genus of venomous fish, venomous marine fish, commonly known as the lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. It is characterized by conspicuous aposematism, warning coloration with red or black bands and ostentatious dorsal fins tip ...

es and sculpins, but have also been called the Scleroparei. It is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes by number of species, with over 1,320. They are known as "mail-cheeked" fishes due to their distinguishing characteristic, the suborbital stay: a backwards extension of the third circumorbital bone (part of the lateral head/cheek skeleton, below the eye socket) across the cheek to the pre operculum, to which it is connected in most species. Scorpaeniform fishes are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

, mostly feeding on crustaceans and on smaller fish. Most species live on the sea bottom in relatively shallow waters, although species are known from deep water, from the midwater, and even from fresh water. They typically have spiny heads, and rounded

pectoral Pectoral may refer to: * The chest region and anything relating to it. * Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest * a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget * Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt * Pectora ...

and

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 ...

s. Most species are less than in length, but the full size range of the order varies from the velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae, which can be just long as adults, to the skilfish (''Erilepis zonifer''), which can reach in

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 ...

. One of the suborders of the Scorpaeniformes is the

Scorpaenoidei Scorpaenoidei is a suborder of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes, part of the Order (biology), order Perciformes, that includes the scorpionfishes, lionfishes and velvetfishes. This suborder is at its most diverse in the Pacific and Indian Oceans ...

. This suborder is usually found in the benthic zone, which is the lowest region of any water body like oceans or lakes. There are two groups of the Scorpaenoidei. The sea robins is the first, which are further classified into two families: the sea robins and the armored sea robins. One significant difference between the two families of sea robins is the presence of spine-bearing plate on the armored sea robins which is absent in the sea robins family. The second group of the Scorpaenoidei suborder is the scorpionfishes, which according to Minouri Ishida's work in 1994 and recent studies, have twelve families. The scorpionfishes are very dynamic in size with the smallest one having a range of 2–3 cm, while the largest have a length of approximately 100 cm.

Classification

The division of Scorpaeniformes into families is not settled; accounts range from 26 to 35 families. 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 the order as follows: Order Scorpaeniformes *Suborder

** Superfamily Congiopodoidea *** Family Aploactinidae

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

& Starks, 1904 (Velvetfishes) *** Family Congiopodidae Gill, 1889 (Racehorses, pigfishes or horsefishes) ** Superfamily Pataecoidea *** Family Pataecidae

Gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

, 1872 (Australian prowfishes) *** Family Gnathanacanthidae Gill, 1892 (Red velvetfish) ** Superfamily Scorpaenoidea *** Family Eschmeyeridae Mandrytsa, 2001 (the cofish) *** Family

Scorpaenidae The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family (biology), family of mostly ocean, marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp ...

Risso, 1827 (Scorpionfishes) *Suborder

Platycephaloidei Platycephaloidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes, part of the Order (biology), order Scorpaeniformes, and includes the Platycephalidae, flatheads, ghost flatheads and Triglidae, sea robins. Taxonomy Platycephaloidei was first recognised and n ...

** Superfamily Platycephaloidea *** Family

Bembridae Bembridae, the deep-water flatheads, are a family of bottom-dwelling ray-finned fishes. They are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy Bembridae was first proposed as a family in 1873 by the German zoologist Johann Jakob Kaup ...

Kaup, 1873 (Deepwater flatheads) *** Family

Platycephalidae The Platycephalidae are a Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fish, most commonly referred to as flatheads. They are relatives of the lionfish, and belong to the order Perciformes. Taxonomy Platycephalidae was first proposed as a famil ...

Swainson, 1839 (True flatheads) *** Family Hoplichthyidae Kaup, 1873 (Ghost flatheads) ** Superfamily Trigloidea *** Family Triglidae

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; 22 October 178318 September 1840) was a French early 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ult ...

, 1815 (Common searobins) *** Family

Peristediidae Peristediidae, the armored sea robins or armoured gurnards, is a Family (biology), family of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Platycephaloidei in the Order (biology), order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the deep wa ...

Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (Armored searobins) * Suborder Normanichthyiodei ** Family Normanichthyidae Clark, 1837 (the Barehead scorpionfish or mote sculpin) * Suborder

Zoarcoidei Zoarcoidei is a suborder of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Order (biology), order Perciformes. The suborder includes the wolffishes, Pholidae, gunnels and eelpouts. The suborder includes about 400 species. These fishes are predominantl ...

** Superfamily Anarhichadoidea *** Family

Anarhichadidae Anarhichadidae, the wolffishes, sea wolves or wolf eels, is a family of marine ray finned fishes belonging to the Order (biology), order Perciformes. These are predatory, eel shaped fishes which are native to the cold waters of the Arctic, North ...

Bonaparte, 1835 (Wolffishes) *** Family Cryptacanthodidae Gill, 1861 (Wrymouths) *** Family

Stichaeidae Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks or shannies, are a Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes in the suborder Zoarcoidei of the Order (biology), order Scorpaeniformes. Most species are found in the North Pacific Ocean with a few in the N ...

Gill, 1864 (Pricklebacks) *** Family

Pholidae ''Pholidae'' is a Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the Scorpaeniformes, scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two speci ...

Gill, 1893 (Gunnels) ** Superfamily Bathymasteroidea *** Family

Bathymasteridae Ronquils (sometimes spelt ronchils) is a small Family (biology), family marine ray-finned fish, the Bathymasteridae. These fishes are found only in Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Pacific Ocean, North Pacific waters. This family contains just seven spec ...

Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (Ronquils) *** Family Ptilichthyidae Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (Quillfish) ** Superfamily Zoarcoidea *** Family Eulophiidae H. M. Smith, 1902 (Spinous eelpouts) *** Family Zoarcidae Swainson, 1839 (True Eelpouts) ** Superfamily Zaproroidea *** Family Scytalinidae Jordan & Starks, 1895 (Graveldivers) *** Family Zaproridae Jordan, 1896 (Prowfishes) * Suborder

Gasterosteoidei Gasterosteoidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes that includes the sticklebacks and relatives, the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' classifies this suborder within the order Scorpaeniformes. Systematics Gasterosteoidei is treated as ...

** Family

Hypoptychidae The Korean sandlance (''Hypoptychus dybowskii'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Hypoptychidae. The Korean sandlance is the only species in this monotypic family and genus and is found in the northwestern Pacific O ...

Steindachner, 1880 (the Korean Sandlance) ** Family

Aulorhynchidae Aulorhynchidae, the tube-snouts, is a small Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Gasterosteoidei in the Order (biology), order Perciformes. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ...

Gill (1861) (Tubesnouts) ** Family Gasterosteidae Bonaparte, 1831 (Sticklebacks) * Suborder

Cottoidei Cottoidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes which, according to the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'', is placed within the order Scorpaeniformes, alongside the scorpionfishes, flatheads, eelpouts, sticklebacks and related fishes. Taxon ...

** Superfamily Anoplopomatoidea ( Quast, 1965) *** Family Anoplopomatidae

& Gilbert, 1883 (Blackcod) ** Superfamily Zaniolepidoidea Shinohara, 1994 *** Family

Zaniolepididae The Zaniolepididae is a Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes classified within the suborder Cottoidei of the Order (biology), order Perciformes. They are found in the North Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Zaniolepididae'' was first pro ...

Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (Combfishes) ** Superfamily Hexagrammoidea

, 1889 *** Family

Hexagrammidae Hexagrammidae, the greenlings, is a Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Cottoidei in the Order (biology), order Perciformes. These fishes are found in the North Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy Hexagrammidae wa ...

Jordan, 1888 (Greenlings) ** Superfamily Trichodontoidea Nazarkin & Voskoboinikova, 2000 *** Family Trichodontidae Bleeker, 1859 (Sandfishes) ** Superfamily

Cottoidea A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology suggest transitions in station-holding demand acros ...

Gill, 1889 *** Family

Jordaniidae Jordaniidae is a small Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Order (biology), order Perciformes. These fishes are found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy Jordaniidae was first proposed as a subfamily, Jo ...

Jordan & Evermann, 1898 (Longfin sculpins) *** Family

Rhamphocottidae Rhamphocottidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. The species in this family occur in the North Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy Rhamphocottidae was first proposed as a family by the American icht ...

Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (Grunt sculpins) *** Family Scorpaenichthyidae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 *** Family

Agonidae Agonidae is a family of small, bottom-dwelling, cold-water marine fish. Common names for members of this family include poachers, Irish lords, sea ravens, alligatorfishes, starsnouts, hooknoses, and rockheads. They are notable for having elongate ...

Swainson, 1839 (Poachers and searavens) *** Family

Cottidae The Cottidae are a family of fish in the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. It is the largest sculpin family, with about 275 species in 70 genera.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology ...

Bonaparte, 1831 (Sculpins) *** Family

Psychrolutidae The fish family Psychrolutidae (commonly known as blobfishes, flathead sculpins, or tadpole sculpins) contains over 35 recognized species in 8 genera. This family consists of bottom-dwelling marine sculpins shaped like tadpoles, with large heads ...

Günther, 1861 (Bighead sculpins) *** Family Bathylutichthyidae Balushkin & Voskoboinikova, 1990 (Antarctic sculpins) ** Superfamily Cyclopteroidea Gill, 1873 *** Family Cyclopteridae Bonaparte, 1831 (lumpfishes or lumpsuckers) *** Family Liparidae Gill, 1861 (Snailfishes) This classification is not settled, however, and some authorities classify these groupings largely within the Order

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish in the clade Percomorpha. ''Perciformes'' means " perch-like". Among the well-known members of this group are perches and darters ( Percidae), and als ...

as the

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

s Scorpaenoidei, Platycephaloidei, Triglioidei and Cottoidei, Cottodei including the infraorders Anoplopomatales, Zoarcales, Gasterosteales, Zaniolepidoales, Hexagrammales and Cottales. These

infraorder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between Family_(biology), family and Class_(biology), class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classific ...

s largely correspond with the superfamilies in the Cottoidei set out in the 5th edition of Fishes of the World.

Timeline of genera

ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-66.0 till:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:-65 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-65 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: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:NAM10 bar:NAM11 bar:NAM12 bar:NAM13 bar:NAM14 bar:NAM15 bar:NAM16 bar:NAM17 bar:NAM18 bar:NAM19 bar:NAM20 bar:NAM21 bar:NAM22 bar:NAM23 bar:NAM24 bar:NAM25 bar:NAM26 bar:NAM27 bar:NAM28 bar:NAM29 bar:NAM30 bar:NAM31 bar:NAM32 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: -66.0 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

Paleocene The Paleocene ( ), or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), ...

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text: Pleist. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:eratop from: -66.0 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:

Paleogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q. PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:eocene bar:NAM1 from:-55.8 till:-48.6 text:

Eosynanceja ''Eosynanceja'' ("dawn '' Synanceia''") is an extinct genus of prehistoric scorpionfish that lived during the Eocene. It contains a single species, ''E. brabantica'', known from the Early Eocene of Belgium. It is the oldest known scorpaenoid� ...

color:eocene bar:NAM2 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text: Eocottus color:eocene bar:NAM3 from:-55.8 till:-5.33 text: Ctenopomichthys color:eocene bar:NAM4 from:-55.8 till:0 text:

Platycephalus ''Platycephalus'' is a genus of mostly marine, demersal ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae. They are found in the eastern Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Platycephalus'' was first pro ...

color:eocene bar:NAM5 from:-37.2 till:0 text:

Lepidotrigla ''Lepidotrigla'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. These gurnards are found in the Eastern Atlantic, Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy ''Lepidotrigl ...

color:eocene bar:NAM6 from:-37.2 till:0 text:

Notesthes The bullrout (''Notesthes robusta''), also commonly called freshwater stonefish or kroki, is a pale yellowish to dark-brown coloured fish that lives in tidal estuary, estuaries and slow-flowing streams in eastern Australia, from southern New So ...

color:eocene bar:NAM7 from:-37.2 till:0 text: Podothecus color:eocene bar:NAM8 from:-37.2 till:0 text: Scorpaena color:oligocene bar:NAM9 from:-33.9 till:0 text: Agonus color:oligocene bar:NAM10 from:-33.9 till:0 text: Pontinus color:oligocene bar:NAM11 from:-33.9 till:0 text: Sebastes color:oligocene bar:NAM12 from:-33.9 till:0 text: Trigla color:miocene bar:NAM13 from:-23.03 till:0 text: Neoplatycephalus color:miocene bar:NAM14 from:-23.03 till:0 text: Peristedion color:miocene bar:NAM15 from:-15.97 till:0 text:

Hoplichthys ''Hoplichthys'', the ghost flatheads, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes native to the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Oceans. This genus is the only member of the family (biology), family Hoplichthyidae. Taxonomy Hoplichthys was first pro ...

color:miocene bar:NAM16 from:-11.61 till:-5.33 text: Achrestogrammus color:miocene bar:NAM17 from:-11.61 till:-5.33 text: Lirosceles color:miocene bar:NAM18 from:-11.61 till:0 text: Sebastodes color:pliocene bar:NAM19 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Artedius color:pliocene bar:NAM20 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Chitonotus color:pliocene bar:NAM21 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Enophrys color:pliocene bar:NAM22 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Icelinus color:pliocene bar:NAM23 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Lepidocottus color:pliocene bar:NAM24 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Leptocottus color:pliocene bar:NAM25 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Malacocottus color:pliocene bar:NAM26 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Prionotus color:pliocene bar:NAM27 from:-5.33 till:0 text: Radulinus color:pleistocene bar:NAM28 from:-2.59 till:0 text: Cyclopterus color:pleistocene bar:NAM29 from:-2.59 till:0 text: Eutrigla color:pleistocene bar:NAM30 from:-2.59 till:0 text: Ophiodon color:pleistocene bar:NAM31 from:-2.59 till:0 text: Scorpaenichthys color:pleistocene bar:NAM32 from:-2.59 till:0 text:

Zaniolepis ''Zaniolepis'', the combfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, it is one of two genera in the family Zaniolepididae. These fishes are native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. ''Z. frenata'' that was a source of food to the Native American in ...

PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -66.0 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:

from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text: Pleist. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:era from: -66.0 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:

from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:

from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q.

Notes

References

* {{Authority control Perciformes Obsolete vertebrate taxa Articles which contain graphical timelines

Classification

Timeline of genera

See also

Notes

References