''Phenacoscorpius'', the no-lined scorpionfishes, 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 native to the western

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 ...

Pacific 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 ...

and Indian oceans.

Taxonomy

''Phenacoscorpius'' was first described as a genus in 1938 by the American

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 ...

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 ...

when he described ''Phenacoscorpius megalops'' from the Philippines 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 the new

monotypic 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 ...

genus. The genus name is a compound of ''phenaco'', which means “cheat”, an allusion to the incomplete

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 ...

of ''P. megalops'', and ''scorpius'', meaning “scorpion”, as this is a scorpionfish.

Species

Phenacoscorpius contains, as of January 2022, seven recognized species: * ''

Phenacoscorpius adenensis ''Phenacoscorpius'', the no-lined scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Taxonomy ''Phenacoscorpius'' wa ...

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, 1939 * ''

Phenacoscorpius eschmeyeri ''Phenacoscorpius'', the no-lined scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Taxonomy ''Phenacoscorpius'' wa ...

'' Parin &

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 ...

, 1992 * '' Phenacoscorpius longilineatus'' Motomura,

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 ...

& Struthers, 2012 * ''

Phenacoscorpius longirostris ''Phenacoscorpius'', the no-lined scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Taxonomy ''Phenacoscorpius'' wa ...

'' 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 ...

, 2009 (Longsnout No-line Scorpionfish) * '' Phenacoscorpius mccoskeri'' Wibowo & Motomura, 2017 (McCosker’s no-line scorpionfish) * ''

Phenacoscorpius megalops ''Phenacoscorpius'', the no-lined scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Taxonomy ''Phenacoscorpius'' wa ...

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

Phenacoscorpius nebris ''Phenacoscorpius'', the no-lined scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Taxonomy ''Phenacoscorpius'' wa ...

'' Eschmeyer, 1965 (Short-tube scorpionfish)

Characteristics

''Phenacoscorpius'' scorpionfishes have very bony heads armed with strong spines and without an occipital pit on the top of the head behind the eyes. The suborbital ridge has 5-6 spines. There are teeth on the sides of the roof of the mouth but none in the front. The uppermost preopercular spine is the largest. There are 12 spines and 9 soft rays in 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 ...

and 3 spines and 5 soft rays in the

anal 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 ...

. 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 have 15-17 rays with the upper rays being branched, the central rays being the longest and the lower rays having their tips exposed. The lateral line is incomplete being made up of only 4-5 pored scales at the front. These scorpionfishes vary in size from a standard length of in ''P. longirostris'' and a total length of in ''P. megalops''.

Distribution and habitat

''Phenacoscorpius'' scorpionfishes have an almost circumtropical distribution and are mainly found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with one species in the western Atlantic Ocean, although they are not found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.These are deepwater fishes typically found deeper then .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1911625 Scorpaenini Venomous fish Marine fish genera Taxa named by Henry Weed Fowler