Velvetfish

Velvetfishes
	Cocotropus roseus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scorpaeniformes
Family:	Aploactinidae; Jordan & Starks, 1904[1]
Genera[2]
	Genus Acanthosphex; Genus Adventor; Genus Aploactis; Genus Aploactisoma; Genus Bathyaploactis; Genus Cocotropus; Genus Erisphex; Genus Kanekonia; Genus Matsubarichthys; Genus Neoaploactis; Genus Paraploactis; Genus Peristrominous; Genus Prosoproctus; Genus Pseudopataecus; Genus Ptarmus; Genus Sthenopus; Genus Xenaploactis;

Little velvetfishes or simply velvetfishes are a family, the Aploactinidae, of scorpaeniform fishes.

As the name implies, they are small fish that have skin with a velvet texture. They are generally flattened in shape, with small pelvic fins, and a fleshy pad under the head, which, in at least one species, forms a sucker for attaching the fish to the sea floor. Some also have venomous spines. They live on the sea bottom close to the shore, at depths of up to 100 metres (330 ft).[3]

Classification

There are about forty known species of velvetfish, although, since they are rarely seen, it is likely that there are many more remaining to be discovered.[3] The species are grouped into 17 genera.

A recent study placed the waspfishes into an expanded stonefish clade (Synanceiidae) because all of these fish have a lachrymal saber that can project a switch-blade-like mechanism out from underneath their eye.[4][5]

References

World Register of Marine Species link: Aploactinidae (+species list)
Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Aploactinidae" in FishBase. December 2012 version.
Eschmeyer, William N. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
Smith, W. Leo; Smith, Elizabeth; Richardson, Clara (February 2018). "Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Flatheads, Scorpionfishes, Sea Robins, and Stonefishes (Percomorpha: Scorpaeniformes) and the Evolution of the Lachrymal Saber". Copeia. 106 (1): 94–119. doi:10.1643/CG-17-669.
Willingham, AJ (13 April 2018). "Stonefish are already scary, and now scientists have found they have switchblades in their heads". CNN.

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[1] World Register of Marine Species link: Aploactinidae (+species list)

[2] Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Aploactinidae" in FishBase. December 2012 version.

[EoF-3] Eschmeyer, William N. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.

[4] Smith, W. Leo; Smith, Elizabeth; Richardson, Clara (February 2018). "Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Flatheads, Scorpionfishes, Sea Robins, and Stonefishes (Percomorpha: Scorpaeniformes) and the Evolution of the Lachrymal Saber". Copeia. 106 (1): 94–119. doi:10.1643/CG-17-669.

[5] Willingham, AJ (13 April 2018). "Stonefish are already scary, and now scientists have found they have switchblades in their heads". CNN.