Platycephaloidei is a

suborder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

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 Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

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 k ...

, and includes the flatheads, ghost flatheads 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 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 October ...

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 ''Fishes of the World'' by the American Ichthyology, ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classificat ...

'' 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 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 ...

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 nomina ...

'' Platycephalus'' 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 18 ...

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 Fowler, 1938 ** Triglinae 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 w ...

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 A ...

, 1883 (Armoured searobins) *

Bembridae Bembridae, the deep-water flatheads, are a family of bottom-dwelling ray-finned fishes. They are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy Bembridae was first proposed as a family in 1873 by the German zoologist Johann Jakob Kaup ...

Kaup, 1873 (Deepwater flatheads) *

Platycephalidae The Platycephalidae are a family of marine fish, most commonly referred to as flatheads. They are relatives of the popular lionfish, belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes. Taxonomy Platycephalidae was first proposed as a family in 1839 by the E ...

Swainson, 1839 (Flatheads) * Hoplichthyidae 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, the pelvic fins are widely separated and have a single spine and typically 5 soft rays, although the pelvic fins of the genus ''

Hoplichthys ''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 ...

'' has 3 soft rays. 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 s ...

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