Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, is a small

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, it is part of the family

Scorpaenidae The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family of mostly 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 spines coated with venom ...

. They are small marine fishes, growing up to 25 cm, and are found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world.

Taxonomy

Setarchinae, or the family Setarchidae, were first described as a taxon by the Japanese ichthyologist

Kiyomatsu Matsubara was a Japanese marine biologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Born Kiyomatsu Sakamoto in Hyogo Prefecture, Kiyomatsu Matsubara was the first professor of the Department of Fisheries of the University of Kyoto and is considered to be the fou ...

in 1943. The grouping is treated as a subfamily of the Scorpaenidae within the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Scorpaeniformes by the 5th Edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classification of the ...

''. However, other authorities, such as

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

, regard the taxon as a family within the

suborder Order ( la, ordo) 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 ...

Scorpaenoidei, part of the Perciformes. The name of the subfamily comes from ''Setarches'' which was described by the English zoologist James Yate Johnson in 1862 but Johnson did not explain what the name alluded to, it may be derived from ''saeta'' meaning "bristle".

Genera

The following four genera are classified within the subfamily Setarchinae, and the combined have a total of 11 species. * ''

Ectreposebastes ''Ectreposebastes'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. The genus is found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy ''E ...

'' Garman, 1899 * ''

Lioscorpius ''Lioscorpius''is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Lioscorpius''as formally ...

'' Günther, 1880: * ''

Lythrichthys ''Lythrichthys'', the red deepwater scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the Pacific Ocean. Taxonom ...

'' Jordan & Starks, 1904 * ''

Setarches ''Setarches'' is a genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biologic ...

'' Johnson, 1862 ''Lithrchthys'' was previously regarded as a synonym of ''Setarches'' but has been treated as a valid genus by '' Catalog of Fishes'' with ''Setarches'' being considered to be a monotypic genus containing solely ''S. guentheri''.

Characteristics

Setarchinae species are differentiated from related species by the possession of a highly modified

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

, reduced ossification and a reduction in the head's ability to be moved, supination. The lateral line is lacking in scales and consists of a single trough and the scales on the body are small and cyloid. In adults there are no suborbital spines. They have a small, sharp nasal spine and the parietal bone is low, ending at its rear end with a spine or spinule. In large specimens many spines are absent and in smaller specimens there are some spines around the eye but in larger individuals only the postocular spine is well defined. The have 12-13, typically 12 spines and 9-11 soft rays in the dorsal fin, the last ray is divided close to its base. The

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 2-3 spines and 4-6 soft rays, the last ray being divided.

Distribution and habitat

Setrachinae are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are offshore fish which can be found at depths between and examination of the stomach contents of two species suggest that they feed in the water column.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q138680 Ray-finned fish families