''Scolopsis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

es belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams. These fishes are found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Scolopsis'' was first proposed as a genus in 1814 by the French

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; ), was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuv ...

. It is not clear what species Cuvier was classifying within the genus, although he referred to ''le curite'' which he referred to a fish described as having the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

name ''kurite'' from a figure by Patrick Russell. However, the type species has traditionally been stated as ''Scolopsis sayanus'', described by Jacob Gilliams in 1824 from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. ''Scolopsis sayanus'' is a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of '' Aphredoderus sayanus'', the freshwater American pirate perch. Some authorities argue that as the type species of this genus is not classified within it then the International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature should be petitioned to designate a new type species, perhaps ''S. lineatus'', while others state that it should be ''S. curite'', a species revalidated in 2022. The 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

'' classifies ''Scolopsis'' within the family Nemipteridae which it places in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Spariformes Spariformes is an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of six families within the series Percomorpha. Taxonomy Spariformes was first used as a taxonomic term in 1860 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. Trad ...

Etymology

''Scolopsis'' combines ''scolo'', meaning "thorn", with ''opsis'', meaning "face", thought to be referring to the large backwards pointing spine on the suborbital or the serrated rear margin of the

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

having rows of blunt spines along its length.

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Scolopsis affinis'' W. K. H. Peters, 1877 (Peters' monocle bream) * ''

Scolopsis aurata ''Scolopsis'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams. These fishes are found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Scolopsis'' was first propose ...

'' ( M. Park, 1797) (Yellowstripe monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis bilineata'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred Bloch ( ...

, 1793) (Two-lined monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis bimaculata'' Rüppell, 1828 (Thumbprint monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis ciliata'' ( Lacépède, 1802) (Saw-jawed monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis curite'' Cuvier 1815 (Whitecheek monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis frenata'' (Cuvier, 1830) (Bridled monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis ghanam'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Arabian monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis japonica'' (Bloch 1793) (Javanese monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis lacrima'' Nakamura, Béarez & Motomura, 2019 (Teary monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis lineata'' Quoy &

Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. Biography Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...

, 1824 (Striped monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis margaritifera'' (Cuvier, 1830) (Pearly monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis meridiana'' Nakamura, Russell,

Moore Moore may refer to: Language * Mooré language, spoken in West Africa People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior ...

& Motomura, 2018 (Sahul monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis monogramma'' (Cuvier, 1830) (Monogrammed monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis taeniata'' (Cuvier, 1830) (Black-streaked monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis taenioptera'' (Cuvier, 1830) (Lattice monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis temporalis'' (Cuvier, 1830) (Bald-spot monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis trilineata'' Kner, 1868 (Three-lined monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis vosmeri'' (Bloch, 1792) (Vosmaer’s monocle bream) * '' Scolopsis xenochrous'' Günther, 1872 (Oblique-barred monocle bream)

Characteristics

''Scolopsis'' monocle breams are small to medium sized fishes with slender to moderately deep bodies that are laterally compressed. They have brush like or small conical shaped teeth arranged in tapering bands in both the upper and lower jaws but there are no canine-like teeth. The

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

s are short to moderately long and are supported by 2 simple and between 12 and 17 branched fin rays. In the

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

the second spine is longer and thicker than the others. The

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

may be emarginate or forked and either or both lobes may be pointed, falcate and extended by short filaments. The bodies of these fish are covered in

ctenoid scale A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as w ...

s and the scales on the crown extend forwards to the level of the centre of the eyes or to the rear nostrils or beyond the rear nostrils. The suborbital is naked and has a large retrose spine and a series of smaller spines or serrations on its rear edge. Some species have a small forward pointing spine underneath the eye. The lower limb of the

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

may be naked or scaly and its rear margin may be serrated or spiny. The

Operculum (fish) The operculum is a series of bones found in bony fish and chimaeras that serves as a facial support structure and a protective covering for the gills; it is also used for respiration and feeding. Anatomy The opercular series contains four bo ...

is scaly and its upper margin has a small, flat spine enclosed within the skin. The smallest species is ''S. xenochrous'' with a maximum published

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of while the largest is ''S. monogramma'' with a maximum published

of .

Distribution and habitat

''Scolopsis'' monocle breams have a wide distribution in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. They are benthic fishes, typically found at deoths arf or less on reefs or on sandy or muddy substrates.

Biology

''Scolopsis'' monocle breams may be found as individuals or in

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

s and their prey is mainly small crustaceans taken off the seabed. The juveniles of some species are Batesian mimics of other fish species. Some of the species in this genus are known to be

protogynous hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is one of the two types of hermaphroditism, the other type being simultaneous hermaphroditism. It occurs when the organism's sex changes at some point in its life. A sequential hermaphrodite ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2309569 Nemipteridae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Spariform fish genera