Wreckfish

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iWreckfishes
Atlantic wreckfish, Polyprion americanus. From plate 66 of Oceanic Ichthyology by G. Brown Goode and Tarleton H. Bean, published 1896.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Polyprionidae
Genera
Polyprion Sterolepis See text for species.

The wreckfishes are a family, Polyprionidae, of perciform fishes.

They are deep-water marine fishes and can be found on the ocean bottom, where they inhabit caves and shipwrecks (thus their common name). Their scientific name is from Greek poly meaning "many" and prion meaning "saw", a references to their prominent spiny fins.

[edit] Species

There are six species in two genera:

• Genus Polyprion
  • Atlantic wreckfish, Polyprion americanus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).
  • Bass groper, Polyprion moeone Phillipps, 1927.
  • Hapuku, Polyprion oxygeneios (Schneider & Forster, 1801).
  • Polyprion yanezi de Buen, 1959.
• Genus Stereolepis
  • Stereolepis doederleini Lindberg & Krasyukova, 1969.
  • Giant sea bass, Stereolepis gigas Ayres, 1859.

[edit] References

• "Polyprionidae". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.