''Paraheminodus'' 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 ...

Peristediidae Peristediidae, the armored sea robins or armoured gurnards, is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Platycephaloidei in the order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the deep water in the tropical and warm temperate of the wor ...

, the armoured gurnards or armored searobins. These fishes are found in 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

''Paraheminodus'' was first described as a genus in 1958 by the Japanese

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 ...

Toshiji Kamohara with ''Satyrichthys laticephalus'', which Kamohara had described in 1952, with off Mimase in

Kochi Prefecture Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part ...

in Japan as its type locality, designated at its type species, although the genus was described as monospecific. The genus is classified within the family Peristediidae. Within the family Peristediidae there are 2 clades, this genus is in the

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

consisting of 5 genera, with the nominate genus ''

Peristedion ''Peristedion'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. These fishes are found in Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific ocean waters. Taxonomy Peristedion was first des ...

'' in the other clade. The name of the genus ''Paraheminodus'' means “near ''

Heminodus ''Heminodus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. It is currently considered to be a monotypic genus, its only species being ''Heminodus philippinus''. Taxonomy ...

''” from which this genus differs by having well developed barbels on its chin.

Species

There are currently 4 recognized species in this genus: * '' Paraheminodus kamoharai'' Kawai, Imamura & Nakaya, 2004 * '' Paraheminodus laticephalus'' Kamohara, 1952 * '' Paraheminodus longirostralis'' Kawai, Nakaya & Séret, 2008 * '' Paraheminodus murrayi'' Günther, 1880 (Murray's armoured gurnard)

Characteristics

''Paraheminodus'' armoured gurnards are similar in form to ''Heminodus'' and share the band of teeth in the upper jaw with that genus but the barbels on the chin are more developed. Another difference between the two is that in ''Paraheminodus'' the rostral process is long and flattened. like a spatula while in ''Heminodus'' is short and triangular. The smallest of these fishes is ''P. kamoharai'' which has a maximum published

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 while the largest is ''P. murrayi'' which has a maximum published standard length of .

Distribution and habitat

''Paraheminodus'' armoured gurnards are found in the

Indo-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 ...

, the most widespread species is Murray’s armoured gurnard (''P. murrayi'') which ranges from East Africa to

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, north to Japan and south to Australia. The other three species are found in the Western Pacific Ocean and are deepwater, demersal fishes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2533743 Peristediidae