Platycephaloidei is a suborder of

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 h ...

es, part of the order

Scorpaeniformes The Scorpaeniformes are a diverse order of ray-finned fish, including the lionfishes and sculpins, but have also been called the Scleroparei. It is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes by number of species, with over 1,320. They are ...

, and includes the flatheads,

ghost flathead ''Hoplichthys'', the ghost flatheads, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This genus is the only member of the family Hoplichthyidae. Taxonomy Hoplichthys was first proposed as a monotypic genus in 18 ...

s and

sea robin Prionotinae is a subfamily of demersal, marine ray-finned fishes, part of the family Triglidae. The fishes in this subfamily are called sea robins and are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans, the other two Triglid subfamilies ...

Taxonomy

Platycephaloidei was first recognised and named as a taxonomic grouping in 1943 by the Japanese ichthyologist

Kiyomatsu Matsubara was a Japanese marine biologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Born Kiyomatsu Sakamoto in Hyogo Prefecture, Kiyomatsu Matsubara was the first professor of the Department of Fisheries of the University of Kyoto and is considered to be the fo ...

. The 5th edition of '' Fishes of the World'' classifies this group as a suborder within the Scorpaeniformes. Other authorities classify the families that make up Patycephaloidei in the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' as two suborders; the Platycephaloidei, consisting of the families Bembridae, Parabembridae (separated from Bembridae), Platycephalidae, Hoplichthyidae and Plectrogeniidae (treated as a subfamily of Scorpaenidae in ''Fishes of the World'') and the Trigloidei, including the families Triglidae and Peristediidae. The name of the suborder is taken from that of the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...

Platycephalus ''Platycephalus'' is a genus of mostly marine, demersal ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae. They are found in the eastern Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Platycephalus'' was first pro ...

'' which means "flat head".

Families and subfamilies

The following families and subfamilies are classified within the suborder Platycephaloidei: *

Triglidae Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide. Taxonomy Triglidae was first described as a family in 181 ...

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1815 (Gurnards and sea robins) **

Prionotinae Prionotinae is a subfamily of demersal, marine ray-finned fishes, part of the family Triglidae. The fishes in this subfamily are called sea robins and are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans, the other two Triglid subfamilies ...

Kaup, 1873 **

Pterygotriglinae Pterygotriglinae is a subfamily of demersal, marine ray-finned fishes, part of the family Triglidae, the gurnards and searobins. These gurnards are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Taxonomy Pterygotriglinae was first proposed as a taxonomic group ...

Fowler, 1938 **

Triglinae Triglinae is a subfamily of demersal, marine ray-finned fishes, part of the family Triglidae, the gurnards and searobins. These gurnards are found in all the tropical and temperate oceans of the world except for the Western Atlantic Ocean. Taxon ...

Rafinesque, 1815 *

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 ...

Jordan &

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 ...

, 1883 (Armoured searobins) * Bembridae Kaup, 1873 (Deepwater flatheads) * Platycephalidae Swainson, 1839 (Flatheads) *

Hoplichthyidae ''Hoplichthys'', the ghost flatheads, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This genus is the only member of the family Hoplichthyidae. Taxonomy Hoplichthys was first proposed as a monotypic genus in 18 ...

Kaup, 1873 (Ghost flatheads)

Characteristics

Platycephaloidei fishes are characterised by having elongate bodies with flattened heads which typically have ridges and spines. There are two separate

dorsal fins 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 ...

, the pelvic fins are widely separated and have a single spine and typically 5 soft rays, although the pelvic fins of the genus '' Hoplichthys'' has 3 soft rays. The anal fin may contain 0, 1 or 3 spines and between 5 and 18 soft rays. They may or may not have a swimbladder. The flatheads of the family Platycephalidae are the largest fishes within this taxon with some attaining lengths of .

Distribution and habitat

Platycephaloidei fishes, in the sense of the alternative classification to that of ''Fishes of the World'' outlined under Taxonomy are not found in the New World and are found in the temperate and tropical waters where they are demersal fishes found from relatively shallow inshore waters to moderate depths of around in offshore waters. The Trigloidei are more widely distributed and are also demersal fishes occurring on the continental shelf on sand or mud substrates.

Fisheries

Platycephaloidei fishes are utilised by fisheries, some species of sea robins are of commercial importance and some flatheads are important food fishes, particularly in Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2098835 Taxa named by Kiyomatsu Matsubara Scorpaeniformes Fish suborders