Triacanthodinae is a

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 botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

of marine

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

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 ...

Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. This subfamily comprises nine genera and a total of nineteen species and all, except one species, are found in the tropical and subtropical waters of 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 ...

. The exception is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

Triacanthodinae is the

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In th ...

subfamily of the family Triacanthodidae, a taxon name first proposed by the American

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

Theodore Gill Theodore Nicholas Gill (March 21, 1837 – September 25, 1914) was an American ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist, and librarian. Career Born and educated in New York City under private tutors, Gill early showed interest in natural hist ...

in 1862. In 1968 the American

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

James C. Tyler proposed that the family Triacanthodidae be split into two subfamilies, establishing the subfamily

Hollardiinae Hollardiinae is a subfamily of Marine life, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Spikefish, Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. This small subfamily comprises two genera and a total of five species and ...

for the genera '' Hollardia'' and '' Parahollardia''. 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 family Triacanthodidae in 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 ...

Triacanthoidei Triacanthoidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, which includes the pufferfishes, triggerfishes and related taxa. These benthic fishes are mainly found in the Indian Ocean with some of the spikefishes fou ...

along with the family

Triacanthidae Triacanthidae, the triplespines or tripodfishes, is a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, which also includes the pufferfishes, boxfishes, filefishes and related groups. The family is made up of four exta ...

, the triplefins.

Etymology

Triacanthodinae is a name based on its

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

''Triacanthodes''. which appends ''-odes'', meaning "is similar to", onto ''

Triacanthus ''Triacanthus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triacanthidae, the triplespines or tripodfishes. The two species in this genus are found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Triacanthus'' wa ...

'', a genus these fishes were thought to be clsoley related to.

Genera and species

Triacanthodinae contains the following genera and species: * '' Atrophacanthus'' Fraser-Brunner, 1950 ** ''

Atrophacanthus japonicus ''Atrophacanthus'' is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. The only species in the genus is ''Atrophacanthus japonicus'', the upward-mouth spikefish, which is found in the Indo- ...

'' ( Kamohara, 1941) * '' Bathyphylax''

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People * Abram F. Myers (1889–after 1960), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and b ...

1934 ** '' Bathyphylax bombifrons'' Myers, 1934 ** '' Bathyphylax omen'' Tyler, 1966 ** '' Bathyphylax pruvosti''

Santini Santini is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * André Santini (born 1940), French politician * Bob Santini (born 1932), American former professional basketball player * Brandon Santini (born 1982), American blues harmon ...

, 2006 * '' Halimochirurgus'' Alcock, 1899 ** '' Halimochirurgus alcocki'' Weber, 1913 ** '' Halimochirurgus centriscoides'' Alcock, 1899 * '' Johnsonina'' Myers, 1934 ** '' Johnsonina eriomma'' Myers, 1934 * '' Macrorhamphosodes'' Fowler, 1934 ** '' Macrorhamphosodes platycheilus'' Fowler. 1934 ** '' Macrorhamphosodes uradoi'' (Kamohara, 1933) * '' Mephisto'' Tyler, 1966 ** '' Mephisto albomaculosus'' Matsuura, Psomadakis & Tun, 2018 ** '' Mephisto fraserbrunneri'' Tyler, 1966 * '' Paratriacanthodes'' Fowler, 1934 ** '' Paratriacanthodes abei'' Tyler, 1997 ** '' Paratriacanthodes herrei'' Myers, 1934 ** '' Paratriacanthodes retrospinis'' Fowler, 1934 * '' Triacanthodes'' Bleeker, 1857 ** ''

Triacanthodes anomalus ''Triacanthodes anomalus'', the red spikefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. This species is found in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Triacanthodes anomalus'' was ...

'' (

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, 1850) ** '' Triacanthodes ethiops'' Alcock, 1894 ** '' Triacanthodes indicus'' Matsuura, 1982 ** '' Triacanthodes intermedius'' Matsuura & Fourmanoir, 1984 * '' Tydemania'' Weber, 1913 ** '' Tydemania navigatoris'' Weber, 1913

Characteristics

Triacanthodinae spikefishes are distinguished from the taxa in the subfamily Hollardiinae by the possession of a low, thin crest on the front of the

supraoccipital The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone lies over the occipital lobes of the cere ...

and in having a flat, horizontal basin-like projection to the plevic bone. The largest species in the subfamily is ''Halimochirurgus alcocki'' with 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 ...

of while the smallest is ''Atrophacanthus japonicus'' which has a maximum published standard length of .

Distribution and habitat

Triacanthodinae spikefishes are mainly found in the Indo-Pacific region, with one species ''Johnsonina eriomma'' in the Western Atlantic Ocean. These benthic fishes are found in deeper water.

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q130133406 Triacanthodidae Taxa named by Theodore Gill Fish subfamilies