Choridactylini, commonly known as stingfishes, stingers or ghouls, is a
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
of
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
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
classified within the
subfamily Synanceiinae, the stonefishes, part of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. These fishes are found in the
Indo-Pacific.
Taxonomy
''Choridactylini'' was first recognised as a taxonomic grouping in 1859 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.
[ The 5th edition of the '' Fishes of the World'' treats this taxon as a tribe within the subfamily Synanceiinae which it, in turn, treats as being classified in the family Scorpaneanidae.][ Other authorities treat it as a subfamily, Choridactylinae, of the family Synanceiidae.]pectoral fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...
rays of ''Choridactylus multibarbus'', a feature which “readily distinguished” it from other stonefishes known to Richardson.
Genera
Choridactylini has 2 genera classified within it: Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
& Starks, 1904
Characteristics
Choridactylini stingfishes are characterised by having bodies and heads which are almost completely naked having almost no scales other than the 13-15 widely spaced and embedded scales which make up the lateral line and the clumps of other buried scales, which manifest as warts or tufts scattered on the upper body.They have 12-18 spines and 5-10 soft rays in their dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...
while the anal fin has 2 spines and 8-13 soft rays. There are 12 fin rays in the pectoral fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...
s with the lower rays separated (2 separate rays in ''Inimicus'' or 3 in ''Choridactylus''). The pelvic fin has a single spine and 5 soft rays. The majority of the fin rays are branched.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 to .
Distribution and habitat
Choridactylini are found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans in shallow coastal waters over sandy substrates.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17127664
Scorpaenidae
Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup
Fish tribes