''Trachyscorpia'' 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

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Sebastinae Sebastinae is a subfamily of marine fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae in the order Scorpaeniformes. Their common names include rockfishes, rock perches, ocean perches, sea perches, thornyheads, scorpionfishes, sea ruffes and rockcods. De ...

, the rockfishes, part of 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 species in this genus are found in the

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 ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

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 ...

oceans.

Taxonomy

''Trachyscorpia'' was first described as a genus by the Lithuanian-born 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 ...

Isaac Ginsburg Isaac Ginsburg (August 9, 1886 – September 2, 1975) was a Lithuanian-born American ichthyologist.described by the American ichthyologists George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1896 from off

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, designated as its

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 ...

. The generic name, ''Trachyscorpia'' is a compound of ''trachys'', meaning "coarse" or "rough", and ''scorpia'', which means “scorpion”, the first part is a reference to the ctenoid scales of the type species and the second is derived from ''

Scorpaena ''Scorpaena'' is a widespread genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. Taxonomy ''Scorpaena'' was first described as a genus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th Edition of his ''Systema Naturae ...

'' the original genus of ''T. cristulata''.

Species

There are currently seven recognised species in this genus: * '' Trachyscorpia carnomagula'' 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 ...

Yearsley Yearsley is a small village and civil parish in the district of Hambleton in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are included in the civil parish of Brandsby-cum-Stearsby. ...

, 2007 (Deepsea Scorpionfish) * '' Trachyscorpia cristulata'' ( Goode & T. H. Bean, 1896) (Atlantic thornyhead) * '' Trachyscorpia echinata'' (

Koehler Koehler is a transliteration of the German surname Köhler, referring to a man making charcoal from wood. Notable people with the surname include: * Ana Luiza Koehler (born 1977), Brazilian comics artist and architect. *Arthur Koehler (1885– ...

( fr), 1896) (Spiny scorpionfish) * '' Trachyscorpia eschmeyeri'' Whitley, 1970 (Cape rockfish) * '' Trachyscorpia longipedicula'' Motomura,

, 2007 (Stylish Scorpionfish) * '' Trachyscorpia osheri'' McCosker, 2008 * '' Trachyscorpia verai'' Béarez & Motomura, 2009 (Ecuadorian Deep-sea Scorpionfish)

Characteristics

''Trachyscorpia'' is characterised by having a large head, which is almost half the length of the body, with a short snout and robust bones with strong spines. They do not have a pit located to the rear of their eyes. The eyes are quite large and have a horizontal ridge running beneath them which is armed with spines. The preoperculum has 4-5 spines, with the 1st spine being longer than the others and this spine has a main spine and a supplementary spine. There are 13 spines and netween 8 and 10 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 ...

while 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 ...

has 3 spines and 5 soft rays, 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 ...

is not wedge shaped and is bilobed with longest rays at top, there are 21-24 pectoral fin rays and the upper rays are branched. In larger fish the lower pectoral fin rays are fleshy, Thera are rough scales on cheek, in the intraorbital space and behind the eyes while the

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 ...

is complete, it reaches the base of the

caudal 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 ...

, and has tubed scales. These species have maximum lengths which vary from

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 ...

in ''T. osheri'' up to a

total 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 ...

in ''T. echinata''.

Distribution and habitat

''Trachyscorpia'' thornyheads are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are demersal fish which are usually found at depths greater than .

Biology

''Trachyscorpia'' thornyheads are thought to be oviparous and, like other taxa in the tribe Sebastolobini, the females likely extrude internally fertilised eggs in gelatinous masses which float. They have venomous spines. They are predatory fishes feeding on benthic invertebrates and on other fishes.

References

Sebastolobini Marine fish genera Taxa named by Isaac Ginsburg {{Scorpaeniformes-stub