Cottoidei is a
suborder of
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 ...
es which, according to the 5th edition of ''
Fishes of the World
''Fishes of the World'' by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classification of the ...
'', is placed within the
order Scorpaeniformes
The Scorpaeniformes are a diverse order of ray-finned fish, including the lionfishes and sculpins, but have also been called the Scleroparei. It is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes by number of species, with over 1,320.
They are ...
, alongside the
scorpionfish
The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venom ...
es,
flatheads,
eelpout
The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the roughly 300 species are marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts are predominantly ...
s,
stickleback
The sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, the Gasterosteidae which have a Holarctic distribution in fresh, brackish and marine waters. They were thought to be related to the pipefish and seahorses but are now thought to be more closel ...
s and related fishes.
Taxonomy
Cottoidei was first proposed as a taxonomic grouping in 1835 by the Swiss-American zoologist Louis Agassiz.
[ The 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' classifies the Cottoidei as a suborder of the order Scorpaeniformes.][ Other workers have found that if the Scorpaeniformes, as delimited in ''Fishes of the World'', is not included in the ]Perciformes
Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ...
it renders the Perciformes paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
. These workers retain the Cottoidei as a suborder within the Perciformes but include the zoarcoids and Sticklebacks and allies as the infraorder
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 ...
s Zoarcales and Gasterosteales while reclassifying most the superfamilies of ''Fishes of the World'' as infraorders.
Subdivisions
The Cottoidei is divided into the following superfamilies and families
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. Ideal ...
: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 ...
& Gilbert Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
, 1883 (Sablefishes)
* Superfamily Zaniolepidoidea Shinohara, 1994[
** Family Hexagrammidae Jordan, 1888 (Greenlings)
* Superfamily Trichodontoidea Nazarkin & Voskoboinikova, 2000]Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Cottoidea
A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Scorpaeniformes.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology suggest transitions in station-holding demand a ...
Gill, 1889Jordaniidae
Jordaniidae is a small family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes. These fishes are found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
Jordaniidae was first proposed as a subfamily, Jordaniinae, of the family Cotti ...
Jordan & Evermann, 1898 (Longfin sculpins)
** Family Rhamphocottidae
Rhamphocottidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. The species in this family occur in the North Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
Rhamphocottidae was first proposed as a family by the American ichthyo ...
Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (Grunt sculpins)
** Family Scorpaenichthyidae Jordan & Evermann, 1898
** Family Agonidae Swainson, 1839 (Poachers and searavens)
** Family Cottidae
The Cottidae are a family of fish in the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. It is the largest sculpin family, with about 275 species in 70 genera.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology ...
Bonaparte, 1831 (Sculpins)
** Family Psychrolutidae
The fish family Psychrolutidae (commonly known as blobfishes, toadfishes, flathead sculpins, tadpole sculpins,) contains over 35 recognized species in 8 genera. This family consists of bottom-dwelling marine sculpins shaped like tadpoles, with l ...
Günther, 1861 (Bighead sculpins)
** Family Bathylutichthyidae Balushkin & Voskoboinikova, 1990 (Antarctic sculpins)
* Superfamily Cyclopteroidea Yabe, 1985Cyclopteridae
The Cyclopteridae are a family of marine fishes, commonly known as lumpsuckers or lumpfish, in the order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean, Arctic, Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean, North Paci ...
Bonaparte, 1831 (lumpfishes or lumpsuckers)
** Family Liparidae
The Liparidae, commonly known as snailfish or sea snails, are a family of marine scorpaeniform fishes.
Widely distributed from the Arctic to Antarctic Oceans, including the oceans in between, the snailfish family contains more than 30 genera ...
Gill, 1861 (Snailfishes)
References
{{taxonbar, from=Q906864
Scorpaeniformes
Taxa named by Louis Agassiz
Fish suborders