''Ophioscion'' is a genus 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

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 ...

Sciaenidae Sciaenidae are a family of fish in the order Acanthuriformes. They are commonly called drums or croakers in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The family consists of about 286 to 298 species in about 66 to 70 gen ...

, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans.

Taxonomy

''Ophioscion'' was first proposed as a

monospecific genus 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 ...

in 1863 by the American

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

Theodore Gill Theodore Nicholas Gill (March 21, 1837 – September 25, 1914) was an American ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist and librarian. Career Born and educated in New York City under private tutors, Gill early showed interest in natural histor ...

when he described ''Ophioscion typicus'' from the Pacific coast of Panama. Although ''

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

'' recognises ''Ophioscion'' as a valid genus, ''

Catalog of Fishes Catalog of Fishes is a comprehensive on-line database and reference work on the scientific names of fish species and genera. It is global in its scope and is hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. It has been compiled and is continuously up ...

'' treats it as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of ''

Stellifer ''Stellifer'' is a genus of fish in the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is found in New World waters.Chao, N. L. (2001)Two new species of ''Stellifer'' from inshore waters of the eastern Pacific, with a redescription of ''S. ephelis ...

''.

Species

''Ophioscion'' has the following valid species: * '' Ophioscion adustus'' (

Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

, 1831) (Croaker) * '' Ophioscion costaricensis''

Caldwell Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, East ...

, 1958 * '' Ophioscion imiceps'' (

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 ...

, 1882) (Blinkard croaker) * ''

Ophioscion panamensis ''Ophioscion'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy ''Ophioscion'' was first prop ...

Schultz Schultz is a Germans, German surname derived from ''Schultheiß'', meaning village headman or constable/sheriff in the medieval sense (akin to today's office of mayor). It has many variations, such as Schuldt, Schulte, Schulten, Schultes, Schultheis ...

, 1945 * '' Ophioscion punctatissimus''

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

Hildebrand Hildebrand is a character from Germanic heroic legend. ''Hildebrand'' is the modern German form of the name: in Old High German it is ''Hiltibrant'' and in Old Norse ''Hildibrandr''. The word ''hild'' means "battle" and ''brand'' means "sword". ...

, 1925 (Spotted croaker) * '' Ophioscion scierus'' (Jordan & Gilbert, 1884) (Point-Tuza croaker) * '' Ophioscion simulus'' Gilbert, 1898 (Snub-nosed croaker) * '' Ophioscion strabo'' Gilbert, 1897 (Squint-eyed croaker) * '' Ophioscion typicus'' Gill, 1863 (Point-nosed croaker) * ''

Ophioscion vermicularis ''Ophioscion'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy ''Ophioscion'' was first proposed as a monospec ...

'' ( Günther, 1867) (Vermiculated croaker)

References

{{Authority control Sciaenidae Taxa named by Theodore Gill