Whipfish

Whipfish
Scorpis violacea
Systematics
Sub-cohort : Neoteleostei Acanthomorphata Spinefish (Acanthopterygii) Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae) Order : Sunfish-like (Centrarchiformes) Family : Whipfish
Scientific name
Scorpididae
Günther , 1860

The brushfish (Scorpididae), also called stone bream , are a family of marine fish from the order of the sunfish-like (Centrarchiformes).

distribution

They are found mainly in the central Pacific from the Philippines to Australia. Three species occur in the eastern Pacific, Bathystethus orientale near Easter Island , Medialuna ancietae off the coast of Peru and Chile and Scorpis chilensis near the Juan Fernández Islands . Stone bream live on rocky coasts and in kelp forests.

features

Brushfish grow to be 20 to 50 cm long, have a laterally flattened body that is 1.8 to 2 times as long as it is high and have a continuous dorsal fin. The symmetry between the dorsal and anal fin is striking. The fish are covered with small ctenoid scales, which also extend over most of the soft-rayed sections of the dorsal and anal fin. The small, slanted mouth is terminal and extends straight to the front edge of the eyes. The jaws are covered with strong, conical teeth that are arranged in bands. The teeth of the outer row of teeth are larger and curved backwards. In contrast to the similar rodent perches (Girellidae), brushfish do not have incisor-like teeth. The sideline is continuous and slightly curved. The fin rays of the hard-rayed section of the dorsal fin are only half as high as those of the soft-rayed section. The attachment of the pelvic fins is clearly behind the pectoral fin base. The caudal fin is deeply forked. The fish are mostly gray in color, darker on the back and whitish on the belly. The upper edge of the gill cover and the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin are often lined with black. The base of the pectoral fins is also black.

• Fin formula : Dorsal IX – X / 26–28, Anale III / 27–28.

Way of life

Whipfish usually live in larger schools on rocky coasts and in estuaries to depths of about 30 meters. They feed mainly on zooplankton and algae.

Systematics

The brushfish are often classified as a subfamily of the control group (Kyphosidae). Many authors also give them the rank of an independent family.

Bathystethus cultratus

Labracoglossa nitida

Scorpis lineolata

Genera and species

There are four genera with eleven species:

• Genus Bathystethus
  • Bathystethus cultratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
  • Bathystethus orientale Regan, 1913
• Genus Labracoglossa
  • Labracoglossa argenteiventris Peters, 1866
  • Labracoglossa nitida McCulloch & Waite, 1916
• Genus Medialuna
  • Medialuna ancietae Chirichigno, 1987
  • Medialuna californiensis (Steindachner, 1876)
• Genus Scorpis
  • Scorpis aequipinnis Richardson, 1848
  • Scorpis chilensis Guichenot, 1848
  • Crescent moon ( Scorpis georgianus ) Valenciennes, 1832
  • Scorpis lineolata Kner, 1865
  • Scorpis violacea (Hutton, 1873)

The genus Neoscorpis , which was formerly assigned to the brushfish , is now included in the Kyphosidae , since the common characteristics of Scorpididae and Neoscorpis are plesiomorphic .

supporting documents

1. ↑ Bathystethus orientale on Fishbase.org (English)
2. ↑ Medialuna ancietae on Fishbase.org (English)
3. ↑ Scorpis chilensis on Fishbase.org (English)
4. ^ ^{A b c d} Kent E. Carpenter & Volker H. Niem: The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae). Rome, FAO. 1998, ISBN 92-5-104587-9 . Page 3299–3300.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Scorpidinae on Fishbase.org (English)
6. ^ Joseph S. Nelson, Terry C. Grande, Mark VH Wilson: Fishes of the World. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2016, ISBN 978-1118342336
7. ^ Rudie H. Kuiter / Helmut Debelius : Atlas der Meeresfische , Kosmos-Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-440-09562-2 .
8. ^ Steen Wilhelm Knudsen & Kendall D. Clements: Revision of the fish family Kyphosidae (Teleostei: Perciformes). Zootaxa 3751 (1): 001-101 (24 December 2013), doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa.3751.1.1 , ISSN  1175-5334