Sciaenidae is a family of belonging to the order Acanthuriformes.[ in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make.][ to 298 species][ in about 66][
]
Taxonomy
Sciaenidae was first proposed as a family in 1829 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier.[ Other authorities classify the Sciaenidae and the Emmelichthyidae as incertae sedis within the series Eupercaria.]
The 5th edition of Fishes of the World, FishBase and Catalog of Fishes do not recognise Subfamily within the Sciaenidae[ but many workers on these fishes do recognise subfamilies and tribes within the family. For example, in 1989 Kunio Sasaki erected a number of subfamilies and tribes.]
Genera
The following genera are classified within the family Sciaenidae:
Fossil genera
The following fossil genera are known:
† Bruneisciaena Kocsis, Lin, Bernard & Johari, 2024 otolith
The former Paratethys appears to have been a hotspot of endemism for many of these extinct sciaenid taxa, as many articulated remains and otoliths are known from this region.
Etymology
Sciaenidae takes its name from its type genus Sciaena which is derived from the Greek language skiaina, which was used to refer to marine perch-like fishes.
Characteristics
A sciaenid has a long dorsal fin reaching nearly to the tail, and a notch between the rays and spines of the dorsal, although the two parts are actually separate.[
]
Sciaenids are found worldwide, in both fresh and salt water, and are typically Benthic zone carnivores, feeding on and smaller fish. They are small to medium-sized, bottom-dwelling fishes living primarily in estuaries, bays, and muddy river banks. Most of these fish types avoid clear waters, such as coral reefs and oceanic islands, with a few notable exceptions (e.g. reef croaker, high-hat, and spotted drum). They live in warm-temperate and tropical waters and are best represented in major rivers in Southeast Asia, northeast South America, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf of California.[
]
In the United States most fishers consider freshwater drum to be rough fish not suitable for eating, similar to carp, gar, and buffalo fish, although there are a number of people that enjoy fishing for these species and eating them, despite their limitations.[
]
Fisheries
They are excellent food and sport fish, and are commonly caught by surf and pier fishers. Some are important commercial fishery species, notably small yellow croaker with reported landings of 218,000–407,000 tonnes in 2000–2009; according to FAO fishery statistics, it was the 25th most important fishery species worldwide.[ However, a large proportion of the catch is not reported at species level; in the FAO fishery statistics, the category "Croakers, drums, not elsewhere included", is the largest one within sciaenids, with annual landings of 431,000–780,000 tonnes in 2000–2009, most of which were reported from the western Indian Ocean (FAO fishing area 51) and northwest Pacific (FAO fishing area 61).]
Croaking mechanism
A notable trait of sciaenids is the ability to produce a "croaking" sound. However, the pitch and use of croaking varies species to species. The croaking ability is a distinguishing characteristic of sciaenids.
To produce the croaking sound, special muscles vibrate against the swim bladder.
Croaking in communication
In some species, croaking is used for communication aside from attracting mates. For those species that have year-round croaking ability, the croaks may serve as a low-aggression warning during group feeding, as well as to communicate location in cloudy water. In those species that lack the ability to croak year-round, croaking is usually restricted to males for attracting mates. A disadvantage to the croaking ability is that it allows bottlenose dolphin to easily locate large groups of croaker and drum as they broadcast their position, indicating large amounts of food for the dolphins.
Timeline of genera
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color:miocene bar:NAM3 from: -23.03 till: 0 text: [[Ctenosciaena]]
color:miocene bar:NAM4 from: -23.03 till: 0 text: [[Nebris]]
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color:miocene bar:NAM6 from: -23.03 till: 0 text: [[Umbrina]]
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color:miocene bar:NAM10 from: -11.608 till: 0 text: [[Menticirrhus]]
color:miocene bar:NAM11 from: -11.608 till: 0 text: [[Sciaena]]
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Further reading
