Scorpaeniformes
Scorpaenidae: Broadbarred firefish, Pterois antennata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Actinopterygii   Order: Scorpaeniformes
Suborders
Anoplopomatoidei Cottoidei Dactylopteroidei Hexagrammoidei Normanichthyiodei Platycephaloidei Scorpaenoidei See text for families

Scorpaeniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Scleroparei or Dactylopteriformes, closely related to and sometimes included in the Perciformes.

They are known as "mail-cheeked" fishes due to their distinguishing characteristic, the suborbital stay: a backwards extension of the third infraorbital bone (part of the skull, below the eye socket) across the cheek to the preoperculum, to which it is connected in most species.

Classification

The division of Scorpaeniformes into families is not settled; accounts range from 26 families^[1][2] to 35 families^[3][4].

• Suborder Anoplopomatoidei
  • Anoplopomatidae (sablefish and skilfish)
• Suborder Cottoidei
  • Superfamily Cottoidea
    • Abyssocottidae (deep-water sculpins)
      Agonidae (poachers)
      Bathylutichthyidae
      Comephoridae (Baikal oilfishes)
      Cottidae (sculpins)
      Cottocomephoridae (Baikal sculpins)
      Ereuniidae
      Hemitripteridae (sea ravens and sailfin sculpins)
      Icelidae (scaled sculpins)[5]
      Psychrolutidae (fatheads)
      Rhamphocottidae (grunt sculpin)
  • Superfamily Cyclopteroidea
    • Cyclopteridae (lumpsuckers)
      Liparidae (snailfishes)
• Suborder Dactylopteroidei
  • Dactylopteridae (flying gurnards)
• Suborder Hexagrammoidei
  • Hexagrammidae (greenlings)
• Suborder Normanichthyiodei
  • Normanichthyidae
• Suborder Platycephaloidei
  • Bembridae (deepwater flatheads)
    Hoplichthyidae (ghost flatheads)
    Parabembridae[6]
    Platycephalidae (flatheads)
• Suborder Scorpaenoidei
  • Apistidae[7]
    Aploactinidae (velvetfishes)
    Caracanthidae (orbicular velvetfishes)
    Congiopodidae (horsefishes and pigfishes)
    Eschmeyeridae
    Gnathanacanthidae (red velvetfish)
    Neosebastidae[7]
    Pataecidae (Australian prowfishes)
    Peristediidae[8]
    Plectrogenidae[7]
    Scorpaenidae (scorpionfishes and rockfishes)
    Sebastidae[7]
    Setarchidae[7]
    Synanceiidae (stonefishes)
    Tetrarogidae (waspfishes)[7]
    Triglidae (searobins)

Notes and references

1. ^ Joseph S. Nelson. Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-54713-1.
2. ^ Scorpaeniformes (TSN 166702). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 31 March 2006.
3. ^ William N. Eschmeyer, Carl J. Ferraris, Mysi D. Hoang, Douglas J. Long (1998). Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. ISBN 0-940228-47-5.
4. ^ "Scorpaeniformes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
5. ^ Icelidae is described as a separate family by some sources [1], containing only the genus Icelus. However, this genus which is considered to be a member of Cottidae by most other sources [2]
6. ^ Parabembridae is included in Bembridae in ITIS and Nelson, but split in FishBase and Eschmeyer.
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Apistidae, Neosebastidae, Plectrogenidae, Sebastidae, and Setarchidae are included in Scorpaenidae in ITIS and Nelson, but split in FishBase and Eschmeyer.
8. ^ Peristediidae is included in Triglidae in ITIS and Nelson, but split in FishBase and Eschmeyer.