Scatophagus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria

Ordo: incertae sedis
Familia: Scatophagidae
Genus: Scatophagus
Species: S. argus – S. tetracanthus
Name

Scatophagus Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1831

Synonyms

Cacodoxus Cantor, 1849

References

Scatophagus species list in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2023. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 10/2023.

Links

Scatophagus – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Scatophagus is a genus of ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Scatophagidae. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Species in this genus are referred as spotted scats.
Taxonomy

Scatophagus was first formally described as a genus in 1831 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with Chaetodon argus which had been described from India by Linnaeus in 1766 later designated as the type species.[1] The genus name is a compound of skatos meaning "dung" and phaga which means to eat, a reference to this species purported taste for human faeces.[2]
Species

The genus Scatophagus contains two extant species:[3]

Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Spotted scat)
Scatophagus tetracanthus (Lacépède, 1802) (African scat)

Extinct species

The fossil Eoscatophagus frontalis Tyler & Sorbini, 1999[4] (syn. Scatophagus frontalis Agassiz, 1839) is from the Middle Eocene of the North Italian Monte Bolca formation that originated from sediments of the Tethys.[5][6]
Scatophagus frontalis fossil
Eoscatophagus frontalis fossil in the Natural History Museum in Verona, Italy.
Characteristics

Scatophagus species have highly compressed, rectangular bodies. The dorsal profile of the head rises steeply to the nape, they have a rounded snout, as is the space between the eyes. The small mouth is horizontal, and cannot be protruded, and has several rows of small bristle like teeth on the jaws teeth in several rows. There are no teeth on the roof of the mouth. The dorsal fin has 11-12 robust spines and 16-18 soft rays, the first spine lies flat and there is a deep incision between the spiny and soft rayed parts of the fin. The anal fin has 4 robust spines and 13-16 soft rays and the relatively small pectoral fins have 16-17 rays. The caudal fin may be truncate or weakly emarginate. although it is rounded in juveniles. The head and the body are covered with tiny ctenoid scales and these reach the soft rayed parts of the dorsal and anal fins. There are no spines or serrations on the opercular bones. They are silvery or greenish in colour marked with darker spots or bars.[7] The scats vary in maximum total length from 30 cm (12 in) for S. tetracanthus up to 38 cm (15 in) for S. argus.[3]
Distribution and habitat

Scatophagus fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific from the coast of East Africa east into the western Pacific Ocean north to Japan, south to Australia and east to the Society Islands.[3] One species, S.argus, has become an established introduced species off Malta and has been recorded occasionally off Florida.[8] They are found in sheltered habitats in coastal areas, including in brackish water and even into freshwater rivers.[3]
Biology

Scatophagus fishes feed on a diverse diet which includes small invertebrates, algae, detritus and refuse.[7] They are venomous, a gland on the lateral line produces venom and a groove takes this onto the spines. If envenomated the wound is painful and may ache for a number of hours.[8]
Utilisation

Scatophagus scats are caught using gill nets and traps and may be marketed fresh or salted.[7] They feature in the live fish market in Hong Kong and are used in traditional Chinese medicine.[3] They also appear in the aquarium trade.[9]
See also

List of prehistoric bony fish genera
List of aquarium fish by scientific name

References

Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Scatophagidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 January 2021). "Order Acanthuriformes (part 2): Families Ephippidae, Leiognathidae, Scatophagidae, Antigoniidae, Siganidae, Caproidae, Luvaridae, Zanclidae and Acanthuridae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Scatophagus in FishBase. June 2021 version.
Tyler, J.C. & Sorbini, C. 1999. Phylogeny of the fossil and recent genera of fishes of the family Scatophagidae (Squamipinnes). Boll. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Verona 23

pages 353–393

L. Agassiz. 1842. Recherches Sur Les Poissons Fossiles. Tome IV (livr. 14). Imprimerie de Petitpierre, Neuchâtel 205-291 (French)
Karl Albert Frickhinger: Fossilien Atlas Fische, Mergus-Verlag, Melle, 1999, ISBN 3-88244-018-X
"Scatophagidae" (PDF). FAO Species Identification Sheets. FAO. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
Schofield, P.J. (2021). "Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)". Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
"Scatophagus argus". Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. April 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2021.