Serranidae

 ( Marine Fish Families ) 

Serranidae is a family of marine fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The family used to contain about 450 species in 65 genera, including some of the and , but taxonomic revisions split out Epinephelinae (groupers), Grammistini (soapfish), and Anthiadinae (anthias); as a consequence, this family is now much less speciose. Representatives of this group live in Tropics and subtropical seas worldwide.

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Characteristics Serranids are generally robust in form, with large mouths and small spines on the . They typically have several rows of sharp teeth, usually with a pair of particularly large, canine-like projecting from the lower jaw.

Randall, John E. (1998). 9780125476652, Academic Press. ISBN 9780125476652

Many serranid species are brightly colored.

They generally have ten spines in their and seven soft rays in their . They are also Autapomorphy by the fin spines being unserrated. The genera within the Serranidae are separated by the meristics of the soft rays in the dorsal fin.

All serranids are carnivorous, Predatory fish and crustaceans. They are typically , hiding in cover on the reef and darting out to grab passing prey. Their bright colours are most likely a form of disruptive camouflage, similar to the stripes of a tiger.

Many species are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they start out as females and change sex to male later in life. They produce large quantities of eggs and their Ichthyoplankton, generally at the mercy of ocean currents until they are ready to settle into adult populations.

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Classification In past taxonomic treatments,

(2026). 9781118342336, Wiley. . ISBN 9781118342336

this family had long encompassed three subfamilies: Anthiadinae, Epinephelinae, and Serraninae. A 2007 study of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA by W. L. Smith and M. T. Craig recovered a different arrangement, where Serranines and Anthiadines nested with part of Scorpaeniformes such as Ablabys and Hoplichthys, while Epinephelines were outside the larger group (clade) containing Serranines and Anthiadines.

More recent studies have retained these three clades within the Percoidei instead of with Scorpaenoidei. Although later studies continued using the three subfamily system, more recent studies have split them into their own families based on phylogenetic evidence. The elevation of Epinephelidae, Grammistidae, and Anthiadidae into their own distinct families was eventually accepted by multiple taxonomic authorities, such as the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (ECoF), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This family is Sister group to the other two former subfamilies within the Serranidae, with the genus Centropristis being sister to all other serranids as presently defined.

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Genera The following genera are considered part of Serranidae in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes:

• Bullisichthys Rivas, 1971
• Centropristis Cuvier, 1829
• Chelidoperca Boulenger, 1895
• Cratinus Steindachner, 1878
• Diplectrum Holbrook, 1855
• Dules Cuvier, 1829
• Hypoplectrus Gill, 1861
• Paralabrax Girard, 1856
• Parasphyraenops T.H. Bean, 1912
• Schultzea Woods, 1958
• Serraniculus Isaac Ginsburg, 1952
• Serranus Cuvier, 1816

The fossil genus Paleoserranus was formerly placed in the former, more expansive version of this family. More recent studies have, however, suggested it to be a basal Perciformes.

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