''Satyrichthys'' 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

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 ...

region.

Taxonomy

''Satyrichthys'' was first described as a monotypic genus in 1873 by the German zoologist Johann Jakob Kaup with ''Peristethus rieffeli'' as its only species. Kaup had described P. reifeli in 1853 with iots type locality given as China. 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 ''Satyrichtys'' was not explained by Kaup but it combines ''satyr'', meaning "god" or "

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

", with ''ichthys'', meaning "fish", the first part may be an allusion to the two fork-shaped projections at the end of the snout of ''S. rieffeli'', resembling the horns depicted on demons.

Species

''Satyrichthys'' currently contains 7 recognized species: * '' Satyrichthys clavilapis'' Fowler, 1938 * '' Satyrichthys laticeps'' Schlegel, 1852 * '' Satyrichthys longiceps'' Fowler, 1943 * '' Satyrichthys milleri'' Kawai, 2013Kawai, T. (2013): Revision of the peristediid genus ''Satyrichthys'' (Actinopterygii: Teleostei) with the description of a new species, ''S. milleri'' sp. nov. ''Zootaxa, 3635 (4): 419–438.'' * '' Satyrichthys moluccensis''

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Satyrichthys rieffeli'' Kaup, 1859 (Spotted armoured-gurnard) * '' Satyrichthys welchi'' Herre, 1925 (Robust armoured-gurnard)

Characteristics

''Satyrichthys'' armoured gurnards have no teeth in their upper jaws, the sides of the head are smooth. The rear scutes in the lower lateral rows are not joined to the ventral midline. They have no branched barbels on the lower jaw apart from the rearmost lip and chin barbels. The second

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 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 ...

contain less than 20 soft rays. The smallest of these fishes is ''S. longiceps'' 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 ''S. laticeps'' which has a maximum published standard length of .

Distribution

''Satyrichthys'' armoured gurnards occur in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1951464 Peristediidae Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup