Parascolopsis

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Parascolopsis
Parascolopsis aspinosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Spariformes
Family: Nemipteridae
Genus: Parascolopsis
Boulenger, 1901
Type species
Parascolopsis townsendi
Boulenger, 1901
Synonyms[1]
  • Parascolopsoides J. L. B. Smith, 1953

Parascolopsis, the dwarf monocle breams, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Taxonomy[edit]

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[1] from the Sea of Oman.[2] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies Parascolopsis within the family Nemipteridae which it places in the order Spariformes.[3]

Etymology[edit]

Parascolopsis is a combination of para, which means "near" and Scolopsis, Boulenger wrote that this genus "agrees in every respect", apart from the absence of a surborbital spine.[4]

Species[edit]

The currently recognized species in this genus are:[5]

Characteristics[edit]

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. Other characteristics include the second anal fin spine typically being longer and more robust than the spines either side of it. The caudal fin 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.[7] These are medium-sized fishes with the smallest species, P. tosensis having a maximum published standard lengths of 10 cm (3.9 in), while the largest, P. eriomma, has a maximum published total length of 35 cm (14 in).[5]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

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 400 m (1,300 ft).[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Nemipteridae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  2. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Parascolopsis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 502–506. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
  4. ^ "Order SPARIFORMES: Families LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Species of Parascolopsis in FishBase. February 2014 version.
  6. ^ Miyamoto, Kei; McMahan, Caleb; Kaneko, Atsushi (2020). "Parascolopsis akatamae, a new species of dwarf monocle bream (Perciformes: Nemipteridae) from the Indo-West Pacific, with redescription of closely related species P. eriomma". Zootaxa. 4881: 91–103. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4881.1.6.
  7. ^ a b Barry C. Russell (2022). "Family Nemipteridae". In Phillip C Heemstra; Elaine Heemstra; David A Ebert; Wouter Holleman; John E Randall (eds.). Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean (PDF). Vol. 3. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. pp. 328–340. ISBN 978-1-990951-32-9.