Indian fish

Indian fish
Pataecus fronto
Systematics
Acanthomorphata Spinefish (Acanthopterygii) Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae) Order : Perch-like (Perciformes) Subordination : Scorpionfish relatives (Scorpaenoidei) Family : Indian fish
Scientific name
Pataecidae
Gill , 1872

The Indian fish (Pataecidae) are a family of perch-like (Perciformes) that are endemic to the coast of southern, western and eastern Australia.

features

The Indian fish are 6 to 27 centimeters long. You are scaly. Instead, their skin is covered with tubercles or papillae. The most striking characteristic of the group is the large, continuous dorsal fin , which begins directly on the head, is supported there by very high and powerful spines, and falls more and more down to the base of the tail. The dorsal fin can be fused with the caudal fin. It is supported by a total of 19 to 25 hard and 7 to 17 soft rays. The anal fin has 5 to 11 hard and 3 to 7 soft rays, the pectoral fin has eight fin rays . Ventral fins are missing. All fin rays are undivided. The head profile of the fish is very steep. The number of vertebrae is 34 to 44. Indian fish are brownish, orange, red or whitish in color. The lateral line organ bends upwards over the gill cover spine.

Systematics

There are three monotypical genera with three types:

• Genus Aetapcus
  • Aetapcus maculatus
• Genus Neopataecus
  • Neopataecus waterhousii
• Genus Pataecus
  • Pataecus fronto

The Indian fish are closely related to the stone fish (Synanceiidae). A characteristic that they share with the stone fish is a saber-shaped, defensive outgrowth of the lacrimale , the teardrop saber . Smith, Everman and Richardson therefore propose to assign the Indian fish as a subfamily to the stone fish.

literature

• Joseph S. Nelson : Fishes of the World. Wiley, New York 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7 .
• Kurt Fiedler: Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish . Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Smith, WL, Everman, E. & Richardson, C. (2018): Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Flatheads, Scorpionfishes, Sea Robins, and Stonefishes (Percomorpha: Scorpaeniformes) and the Evolution of the Lachrymal Saber. Copeia 106 (1): 94-119. 2018 doi: 10.1643 / CG-17-669

Web links

• Pataecidae on Fishbase.org (English)