''Chelidonichthys'', the smallscaled gurnards, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

es belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Triglidae Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide. Taxonomy Triglidae was first described as a family in 181 ...

, the gurnards and sea robins. These gurnards are found in the Eastern Atlantic, Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

Taxonomy

''Chelidonichthys'' was first formally described as a genus in 1873 by the German

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

Johann Jakob Kaup Johann Jakob von Kaup (10 April 1803 – 4 July 1873) was a German naturalist. A proponent of natural philosophy, he believed in an innate mathematical order in nature and he attempted biological classifications based on the Quinarian system. Kaup ...

. In 1896 ''Trigla hirundo'' was designated as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus by

David Starr Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Univer ...

and Barton Warren Evermann, ''T. hirundo'' is now treated as a junior synonym of ''Trigla lucerna'' which had been described by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1758 from the “Northern Ocean”. The genus is classified into three subgenera by some authorities, ''Cheilonichthys'', ''Aspitrigla'' and ''Trigloporus''. The genus name combines ''chelidon'', meaning “swallow”, with ''ichthys'', meaning “fish”, probably an allusion to the specific name of the type species, ''

hirundo The bird genus ''Hirundo'' is a group of passerines in the family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins). The genus name is Latin for a swallow. These are the typical swallows, including the widespread barn swallow. Many of this group have blue bac ...

'', which also means “swallow”.

Species

There are currently three subgenera and ten recognized species in this genus: * subgenus ''Chelidonichthys'' Kaup, 1876 ** '' Chelidonichthys capensis'' (

G. Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1829) (Cape gurnard) ** '' Chelidonichthys gabonensis'' (

Poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

& C. Roux, 1955) (Gabon gurnard) ** '' Chelidonichthys ischyrus'' D. S. Jordan & W. F. Thompson, 1914 ** '' Chelidonichthys kumu'' (

, 1829) (Bluefin gurnard) ** '' Chelidonichthys lucerna'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Tub gurnard) ** '' Chelidonichthys queketti'' (

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1904) (Lesser gurnard) ** '' Chelidonichthys spinosus'' (

McClelland McClelland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alyssa McClelland, Australian actress * Charles A. McClelland (1917–2006), American political systems analyst * Charles P. McClelland (1854–1944), New York politician, and US ...

, 1844) (Spiny red gurnard) * subgenus '' Aspitrigla'' Fowler, 1925 ** '' Chelidonichthys cuculus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Red gurnard) ** '' Chelidonichthys obscurus'' (

Walbaum Walbaum is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Johann Julius Walbaum (1724–1799), German physician, naturalist and taxonomist * Johannes Walbaum (born 1987), German footballer * Justus Erich Walbaum (1768-1837), German typ ...

, 1792) (Longfin gurnard) * subgenus ''Trigloporus'' J. L. B. Smith, 1934 ** '' Chelidonichthys lastoviza'' ( Bonnaterre, 1788) (Streaked gurnard)

Characteristics

''Chelidonichthys'' gurnards have bont plates along the base of first spiny dorsal fin but not along the base of the second soft rayed dorsal fin. The scales on the body and caudal peduncle are small and there are typically 60 scale rows along the lateral line but no scales on the head. There is a deep groove on the occipital region. The largest species is the tub gurnard (''C. lucerna'') of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which has a maximum published

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of , while the smallest is ''C. ischyura'' with a maximum published total length of .

Distribution

''Chelidonichthys'' gurnards are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1983412 * Triglinae