''Maxillicosta'' 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 ...

es, belonging to the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Neosebastinae Neosebastinae, the gurnard scorpionfishes or gurnard perches, is a small subfamily of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, it is part of the family Scorpaenidae. These fishes are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Several of the species in this fami ...

, the gurnard scorpionfishes, part of 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 ...

Scorpaenidae 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 ...

. They are native to the eastern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

and the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Taxonomy

''Maxillicosta'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the Australian

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Gilbert Percy Whitley Gilbert Percy Whitley (9 June 1903 – 18 July 1975) was a British-born Australian ichthyologist and malacologist who was Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney for about 40 years. He was born at Swaythling, Southampton, England, an ...

when he described ''M. scabriceps'', with its type locality given as Kingscote on

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, as a monotypic genus but he also explicitly designated ''M scabriceps'' as its

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 ...

. The name of the genus ''Maxillicosta'' was chosen by Whitley as the type species hade a scaleless maxilla crossed by five ridges, ''costa'' in contract to the scaled maxilla of ''

Neosebastes ''Neosebastes'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, belonging to the subfamily Neosebastinae, the gurnard scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. These fishes are found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy Neosebastes was firs ...

''.

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus: * '' Maxillicosta lopholepis'' Eschmeyer & Poss, 1976 (Bigeye gurnard perch) * ''

Maxillicosta meridianus ''Maxillicosta'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, belonging to the subfamily Neosebastinae, the gurnard scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ...

'' Motomura,

Last A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and ...

& M. F. Gomon, 2006 (Southern gurnard perch) * '' Maxillicosta raoulensis'' Eschmeyer & Poss, 1976 (Red little gurnard perch) * ''

Maxillicosta reticulata ''Maxillicosta'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, belonging to the subfamily Neosebastinae, the gurnard scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ...

'' ( F. de Buen, 1961) * '' Maxillicosta scabriceps'' Whitley, 1935 (Little gurnard perch) * ''

Maxillicosta whitleyi ''Maxillicosta'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, belonging to the subfamily Neosebastinae, the gurnard scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ...

'' Eschmeyer & Poss, 1976 (Whitley's gurnard perch)

Characteristics

''Maxillicosta'' gurnard perches are small scorpaenid fishes that possess an expanded rear surface of the maxillary and the outer surface of the

dentary In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

has a number of clear, horizontal ridges. The maxillary, intraorbital and occipital areas of the head have no scales. They have 20-27 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. Some of them do not have a

swim bladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled Organ (anatomy), organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their curren ...

. The smallest species is Whitley's gurnard perch which has a maximum

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 largest is the little gurnard perch which has a maximum total length of .

Distribution

''Maxillicosta'' gurnard perches are found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and southeastern Indian Ocean with one species, ''M. reticulata'', found in the

Desventuradas Islands The Desventuradas Islands ( es, Islas Desventuradas, , "Unfortunate Islands" or ''Islas de los Desventurados'', "Islands of the Unfortunate Ones") is a group of four small oceanic islands located off the coast of Chile, northwest of Santiago in t ...

and

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands ( es, Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic i ...

in the southeastern Pacific.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1965955 Neosebastinae Taxa named by Gilbert Percy Whitley