''Minous'', is a genus of marine

ray-finned fishes 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 ...

, it is the only

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

in the

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 ...

Minoini, one of the three tribes which are classified within the subfamily Synanceiinae within 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. They are commonly known as stingfishes. They are found in the

Indo-West Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

Taxonomy

''Minous'' was first described as a genus by the French

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 ...

Georges Cuvier, in 1876

Pieter Bleeker Pieter Bleeker (10 July 1819 – 24 January 1878) was a Dutch medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He was famous for the ''Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises'', his monumental work on the fishes of East Asia ...

designated ''Minous monodactylus'', which had originally been described as ''Scorpaena monodactyla'' by Bloch and Schneider in 1801, 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 specime ...

. It is the only genus in the tribe Minoini within the subfamily Synanceiinae of the family Scorpaenidae. However, some authorities classify this taxon as a subfamily, Minoinae,, Others include it within the subfamily Choridactylinae, within the family Synanceiidae. The genus name, ''Minous'', is a latinisation of ''woorah minooh'', the name that in 1803 the herpetologist Patrick Russell reported was used for the type species in

Vizagapatam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museum, ...

on the

Coromandel Coast The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an ...

in India.

Species

There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus: * '' Minous andriashevi''

Mandritsa Mandritsa ( bg, Мандрица, "Small dairy"; ) is a village in southernmost Bulgaria, part of Ivaylovgrad municipality, Haskovo Province. It is known as the only Albanian village in Bulgaria. As of 14 December 2006, Mandritsa has a population ...

, 1990 * ''

Minous coccineus ''Minous'', is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, it is the only genus in the tribe Minoini, one of the three tribes which are classified within the subfamily Synanceiinae within the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relativ ...

'' Alcock, 1890 (Onestick stingfish) * '' Minous dempsterae'' Eschmeyer, Hallacher & Rama Rao, 1979 (Oblique-banded stingfish) *'' Minous groeneveldi'' Matsunuma & Motomura, 2018 (Groeneveld’s stingfish) * '' Minous inermis'' Alcock, 1889 (Alcock's scorpionfish) * '' Minous longimanus'' Regan, 1908 * '' Minous monodactylus'' ( Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) (Grey stingfish) * '' Minous pictus'' Günther, 1880 (Painted stinger) * '' Minous pusillus''

Temminck Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch aristocrat, zoologist and museum director. Biography Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. From his father, Jacob Temmin ...

Schlegel Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), former American football linebacker * August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, older brother of Friedrich * Brad Schlege ...

, 1843 (Dwarf stingfish) * '' Minous quincarinatus'' ( Fowler, 1943) * '' Minous radiatus'' Matsunuma & Motomura, 2018 * '' Minous roseus'' Matsunuma & Motomura, 2018 * '' Minous trachycephalus'' ( Bleeker, 1855) (Striped stingfish) * '' Minous usachevi'' Mandritsa, 1993 * '' Minous versicolor'' J. D. Ogilby, 1910 (Plum-striped stingfish)

Characteristics

''Minous'' stingishes are small, most are less than in

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 ...

with mainly scaleless bodies. the lowest ray of 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 ...

is detached from the fin and is tipped with a cap. The dorsal fins have between 8 and 12 spines and 10 and 14 soft rays, although there is one species with only 4 spines and 18 soft rays. The anal fin has 2 spine and between 7 and 11 soft rays. Their pelvic fin has a single spine and 5 soft rays and the pectoral fin has 12 soft rays. The soft fin rays are unbranched. They may or may not have a swim bladder.

Distribution and habitat

''Minous'' stingfishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region from the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

east into the Western pacific, north to Japan and south to Australia. These fishes are found on mud and sand bottoms where they use the detached lower pectoral fin rays to walk over the substrate.

Biology

''Minous'' stingfishes have a venom gland at the base of their fin spines with an anterolateral glandular groove in the spine which takes the venom to the tip. Some species are known to have

commensal relationship Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fr ...

s with hydroids in the order

Anthoathecata Anthoathecata, or the athecate hydroids, are an order of hydrozoans belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. A profusion of alternate scientific names exists for this long-known, heavily discussed, and spectacular group. It has also been called Gymnobl ...

, there are records of commensalism between various species of ''Minous'' and the hydroids of '' Hydractinia minoi''.

References

External links

Video of habits on sea floor
by Emeric Benhalassa off Bali, Indonesia, 2 June 2017, National Geographic {{Taxonbar, from=Q2335452 Synanceiinae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Georges Cuvier