''Neomerinthe'' 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, the scorpionfishes. They are found in

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

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

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

''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ichthyologist

Henry Weed Fowler Henry Weed Fowler (March 23, 1878 – June 21, 1965) was an American zoologist born in Holmesburg, Pennsylvania. He studied at Stanford University under David Starr Jordan. He joined the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and worked as ...

, Fowler was describing ''N. hemingwayi'', with a type locality given as off

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May is a city located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations, and part of th ...

, which he designated as the

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 ...

of a new genus. The genus name is a compound of ''neo'', meaning ''new'', and ''Merinthe'', a synonym of the genus ''

Pontinus ''Pontinus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. The scorpionfishes in this genus are distributed in the tropical and warm temperate parts Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy ' ...

'', which Fowler thought ''N. hemingwayi'' resembled.

Species

''Neomerinthe'' has 12 species classified within it: * ''

Neomerinthe amplisquamiceps ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' ( Fowler, 1938) (Orange scorpionfish) * ''

Neomerinthe bauchotae ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' Poss & Duhamel, 1991 * ''

Neomerinthe beanorum ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' ( Evermann & M. C. Marsh, 1900) * ''

Neomerinthe erostris ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' ( Alcock, 1896) (Round scorpionfish) Motomura, H., Causse, R., Béarez, P. & Mishra, S.S. (2015): Redescription of the Indo-West Pacific scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae), ''Neomerinthe erostris'' (Alcock 1896), a senior synonym of ''Scorpaena gibbifrons'' Fowler 1938, ''N. rotunda'' Chen 1981, and ''N. bathyperimensis'' Zajonz & Klausewitz 2002. ''Zootaxa, 4021 (4): 529-540.'' * ''

Neomerinthe folgori ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' (

Postel Postel is a surname, and may refer to: * Guillaume Postel (1510–1581), French linguist, astronomer, Cabbalist, diplomat, and religious universalist * Christian Heinrich Postel (1658–1705), German jurist, epic poet and opera librettist * Georg- ...

& C. Roux, 1964) (Folger's scorpionfish) * ''

Neomerinthe hemingwayi The spinycheek scorpionfish (''Neomerinthe hemingwayi''), also known as Hemingway's scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Taxonomy ...

'' Fowler, 1935 (Spiny-cheek scorpionfish) * ''

Neomerinthe megalepis ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' ( Fowler, 1938) * ''

Neomerinthe naevosa ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' Motomura, Béarez &

Causse The Causses () are a group of limestone plateaus (700–1,200 m) in the Massif Central. They are bordered to the north-west by the Limousin and the Périgord uplands, and to the east by the Aubrac and the Cévennes. Large river gorges cut through ...

, 2011 (Blotched Polynesian scorpionfish) Motomura, H., Béarez, P. & Causse, R. (2011): Review of Indo-Pacific specimens of the subfamily Scorpaeninae (Scorpaenidae), deposited in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, with description of a new species of ''Neomerinthe''. ''Cybium, 35 (1): 55-73.'' * ''

Neomerinthe pallidimacula ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' ( Fowler, 1938) (Three-striped scorpionfish) Motomura, H., Causse, R. & Béarez, P. (2016): Validity of a poorly known western Pacific scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae), ''Neomerinthe pallidimacula'' (Fowler, 1938). ''Cybium, 40 (2): 109-113.'' * ''

Neomerinthe procurva ''Neomerinthe'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Neomerinthe'' was first described as a genus in 1935 by the American ...

'' L. C. Chen, 1981 (Curved-spine scorpionfish) * '' Neomerinthe rufescens'' ( C. H. Gilbert, 1905)

Characteristics

''Neomerinthe'' scorpionfishes have an elongate and robust body> they do not have an occipital pit located o the rear of the eyes but there is a bony suborbital ridge under the eye which is armed with 3 spines. The uppermost spine on the preoperculum is longer than the others. There are teeth on the sides of the roof of the mouth. 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 ...

has 12 spines and 9-10 soft rays, the rearmost ray being split to its base. 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 wedge-shaped with 16-18 rats, the longest rays being in the centre and some of the upper rays are branched at their tips in adults. The scales on the body are rough and the

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

reaches the base of the

caudal 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 ...

. These scorpionfishes vary in size from a

standard 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 m ...

of in the curve-spine scorpionfish (''N. procurva'' to a

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 in Folger's scorpionfish (''N. folgeri'').

Distribution and habitat

''Neomerinthe'' scorpionfishes are found throughout the world's oceans except for the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They live in deep water.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q587383 Scorpaenini Taxa named by Henry Weed Fowler Venomous fish Marine fish genera