Percophidae

Short description: Family of fishes

Percophidae

Goby flathead, Bembrops gobioides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Trachiniformes
Family:  | Percophidae
Swainson, 1839[1]
Subfamilies

* Swainson, 1839 Regan, 1913
* Hemerocoetinae Bembropinae
* Kaup, 1873 Percophinae

The Percophidae, duckbills, are a family of percomorph fishes, from the order Trachiniformes, found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and in the southwestern and southeastern Pacific.

They are small fishes: the largest species, the Brazilian flathead, Percophis brasiliensis, grows up to about 50 centimetres (20 in), but 10 centimetres (3.9 in) to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) is more typical. A few species are fished commercially, including the Brazilian flathead.

## Contents

* 1 Characteristics
* 2 Subfamilies and genera
* 3 Timeline of genera
* 4 References

## Characteristics

The species in the family Percophidae are elongated, benthic fishes with an anteriorly depressed head, a broad flat snout which gives rise to the common name duckbills. The mouth is large with a prognathous lower jaw and exposed maxilla. They have large closely placed eyes. There are two spines on the opercula and one on subopercula. They have tiny conical teeth on the mandibles and on the vomer and palatine bones. There are two dorsal fins an anterior dorsal fin with 6 slender spines and a posterior dorsal fin with 13 to 18 soft rays, the pelvic fins have 1 weak spine and 5 branched rays and these are positioned anteriorly to the pectoral fins with their bases widely separated. The anal fin has only 15 to 25 soft rays and the pectoral fins have between 20 and 28 rays. They body is covered in ctenoid scales and the lateral line curves underneath the anterior dorsal fin to below the middle of the flank with the 2 or 3 scales nearest the head being keeled. They are generally brownish in colour with indistinct dark blotches along the body. They are benthic, carnivorous fish which are found at depths of 100–600 metres (330–1,970 ft). They are relatively small and uncommon and are of no interest to fisheries.[2]

## Subfamilies and genera

The family Percophidae is divided into three subfamilies[1]

Bembrops platyrhynchus Natal duckbill

* Subfamily Bembropinae Regan, 1913
* Bembrops Steindachner, 1876
* Chrionema Gilbert, 1905
* Subfamily Hemerocoetinae Kaup, 1873
* Acanthaphritis Günther, 1880
* Dactylopsaron Parin, 1990
* Enigmapercis Whitley, 1936
* Hemerocoetes Valenciennes, 1837
* Matsubaraea Taki, 1953
* Osopsaron Jordan & Starks, 1904
* Pteropsaron Jordan & Snyder, 1902
* Squamicreedia Rendahl, 1921
* Subfamily Percophinae Swainson, 1839
* Percophis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825

## Timeline of genera

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id:CAR	  value:claret
id:ANK 	 value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196)
id:HER	  value:teal
id:HAD	  value:green
id:OMN	  value:blue
id:black        value:black
id:white        value:white
id:cenozoic     value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258)
id:paleogene     value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32)
id:paleocene     value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37)
id:eocene     value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42)
id:oligocene     value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48)
id:neogene     value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1)
id:miocene     value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0)
id:pliocene     value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68)
id:quaternary   value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5)
id:pleistocene   value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68)
id:holocene   value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88)

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align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25
shift:(7,-4)

bar:periodtop
from: -65.5   till:  -55.8    color:paleocene  text:Paleocene
from: -55.8   till:  -33.9    color:eocene  text:Eocene
from: -33.9   till:  -23.03    color:oligocene  text:Oligocene
from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:Miocene
from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:Plio.
from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:Pleist.
from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:H.

bar:eratop
from: -65.5   till:  -23.03    color:paleogene  text:Paleogene
from: -23.03    till: -2.588    color:neogene    text:Neogene
from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:Q.

PlotData=

align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left

color:eocene bar:NAM1  from:	-37.2	till:	0	text:	Bembrops
color:oligocene bar:NAM2  from:	-33.9	till:	0	text:	Hemerocoetes

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align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25

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from: -65.5   till:  -55.8    color:paleocene  text:Paleocene
from: -55.8   till:  -33.9    color:eocene  text:Eocene
from: -33.9   till:  -23.03    color:oligocene  text:Oligocene
from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:Miocene
from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:Plio.
from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:Pleist.
from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:H.

bar:era
from: -65.5   till:  -23.03    color:paleogene  text:Paleogene
from: -23.03    till: -2.588    color:neogene    text:Neogene
from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:Q.

</timeline>

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Percophidae Swainson, 1839". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. 2017. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=151412.
2. ↑ "Percophidae". Fish Identification Sheets Fishing Area 51 W. Indian Ocean. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1983. http://www.fao.org/tempref/docrep/fao/009/ad468e/AD468eJC.pdf.

* Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: 560. http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved 2011-05-19.

Wikidata ☰ Q1651138 entry

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