''Cocotropus'' 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 hor ...

, velvetfishes 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 ...

Aploactinidae Little velvetfishes or simply velvetfishes are a family, the Aploactinidae, of marine ray-finned fishes classified within the order Scorpaeniformes. They are small fish that have skin with a velvet texture. They live on the sea bottom close to t ...

. The genus is found in the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and western Pacific oceans.

Taxonomy

Cocotropus was first described as a genus in 1858 by the German naturalist

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 ...

as a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus, the only species classified within it being ''Corythobatus echinatus'', which had been described in 1849 by the Danish

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, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Theodore Cantor Theodore Edward (Theodor Edvard) Cantor (1809–1860) was a Danish physician, zoologist and botanist. Born to a Danish Jewish family, his mother was a sister of Nathaniel Wallich. Cantor worked for the British East India Company, and made natural ...

from

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

in Malaysia. The genus ''Cocotropus'' is classified within the family Aploactinidae in the

suborder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

Scorpaenoidei Scorpaenoidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes, part of the order Scorpaeniformes, that includes the scorpionfishes, lionfishes and velvetfishes. This suborder is at its most diverse in the Pacific and Indian Oceans but is also found in the A ...

within the order Scorpaeniformes, although this family is also treated as a subfamily of the

stonefish ''Synanceia'' is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Synanceiinae, the stonefishes, which is classified within the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and relatives. Stonefishes are venomous, dangerous, and fatal to huma ...

family

Synanceiidae Synanceiinae is a subfamily of venomous ray-finned fishes, waspfishes, which is classified as part of the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are primarily marin ...

within the Scorpaenoidei, which in turn is treated as a

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

within the order Perciformes. The name of the genus, ''Cocotropus'' was not explained by Kaup but may be a compound of ''coccum'', which means "scarlet", and ''tropus'', meaning "manner" or "way", so a "scarlet fish", however ''C. echinatus'' is reddish brown rather than scarlet.

Species

There are currently 17 recognized species in this genus: * '' Cocotropus altipinnis'' Waite, 1903 (Highfin velvetfish) * '' Cocotropus astakhovi'' Prokofiev, 2010 * '' Cocotropus aurantius'' Matsunuma, Sado & Motomura, 2021 * '' Cocotropus dermacanthus'' (

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Cocotropus echinatus ''Cocotropus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. The genus is found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans. Taxonomy Cocotropus was first described as a genus in 1858 by the German nat ...

'' ( Cantor, 1849) * '' Cocotropus eksae'' Prokofiev, 2010 * '' Cocotropus izuensis'' Imamura, Aizawa & G. Shinohara, 2010 * '' Cocotropus keramaensis'' Imamura & G. Shinohara, 2003 * '' Cocotropus larvatus'' Poss & G. R. Allen, 1987 (Ghost velvetfish) * '' Cocotropus masudai''

Matsubara is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,811 in 57351 households and a population density of 7100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsubara is located in the cente ...

, 1943 * '' Cocotropus microps'' J. W. Johnson, 2004 (Patchwork velvetfish) * '' Cocotropus monacanthus'' ( Gilchrist, 1906) (Roughskin scorpionfish) * '' Cocotropus possi'' Imamura & G. Shinohara, 2008 * '' Cocotropus richeri'' R. Fricke, 2004 * '' Cocotropus roseomaculatus'' Imamura & G. Shinohara, 2004 * ''

Cocotropus roseus ''Cocotropus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. The genus is found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans. Taxonomy Cocotropus was first described as a genus in 1858 by the German natur ...

'' F. Day, 1875 * '' Cocotropus steinitzi'' Eschmeyer &

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, 1978

Characteristics

''Cocotropus'' velvetfishes are characterised by the gill membranes not being attached to the isthmus which has fleshy extendtions. The anus is just in front of the origin of the

anal 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 se ...

while the

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 conv ...

is continuous. There are parallel ridges between the eyes. The body is covered in velvety scales. The

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

has a single spine and 3 rays. These are small fishes, the largest is the roughskin scorpionfish (''C. monacanthus'') which reaches 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 .

Distribution and habitat

''Cocotropus'' velvetfishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region from the eastern coasts of Africa to

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, north to Japan and south to Australia. They are little know fishes most often found sheltering in crevices, underneath coral rubble, or within coral-lined algal areas on either coral or rock reefs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1532503 Aploactinidae Scorpaeniformes genera Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup