Sciaenidae

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: Perciformes
Subordo: Percoidei
Superfamilia: Percoidea

Familia: Sciaenidae
Subfamiliae: †Carnevalellinae – Sciaeninae – StelliferinaeGenera: †Amazonasciaena – Aplodinotus – Argyrosomus – Aspericorvina – Atractoscion – Atrobucca – Austronibea – Bahaba – Bairdiella – Boesemania – Callaus – †Caucasisciaena – Cheilotrema – Chrysochir – Cilus – Collichthys – Corvula – Ctenosciaena – Cynoscion – Daysciaena – Dendrophysa – †Diaphyodus – Elattarchus – †Eocilophyodus – †Equetulus – Equetus – Genyonemus – Isopisthus – †Jefitchia – Johnius – Kathala – Larimichthys – Larimus – Leiostomus – †Lompoquia – Lonchurus – Macrodon – Macrospinosa – Megalonibea – Menticirrhus – Micropogonias – Miichthys – Miracorvina – Nebris – Nibea – Odontoscion – Ophioscion – Otolithes – Otolithoides – Pachypops – Pachyurus – Panna – Paralonchurus – Paranebris – Paranibea – Pareques – Pennahia – Pentheroscion – Petilipinnis – Plagioscion – Pogonias – Polycirrhus – †Protolarimus – †Protonebris – Protonibea – Protosciaena – Pseudotolithus – †Pseudoumbrina – Pteroscion – Pterotolithus – Roncador – Sciaena – Sciaenops – Seriphus – Sonorolux – Stellifer – Totoaba – Umbrina – †Xenotolithus

†Amazonasciaena – Aplodinotus - Argyrosomus - Aspericorvina - Atractoscion - Atrobucca - Austronibea - Bahaba - Bairdiella - Boesemania – Callaus – †Caucasisciaena – Cheilotrema - Chrysochir - Cilus - Collichthys - Corvula - Ctenosciaena - Cynoscion - Daysciaena - Dendrophysa - †Diaphyodus - Elattarchus – †Eocilophyodus – †Equetulus – Equetus - Genyonemus - Isopisthus – †Jefitchia – Johnius - Kathala - Larimichthys - Larimus - Leiostomus – †Lompoquia – Lonchurus - Macrodon - Macrospinosa - Megalonibea - Menticirrhus - Micropogonias - Miichthys - Miracorvina - Nebris - Nibea - Odontoscion - Ophioscion - Otolithes - Otolithoides - Pachypops - Pachyurus - Panna - Paralonchurus - Paranebris - Paranibea - Pareques - Pennahia - Pentheroscion - Petilipinnis - Plagioscion - Pogonias –†Protolarimus – †Protonebris – Protonibea - Protosciaena - Pseudotolithus – †Pseudoumbrina – Pteroscion - Pterotolithus - Roncador - Sciaena - Sciaenops - Seriphus - Sonorolux - Stellifer - Totoaba - Umbrina – †Xenotolithus

Name

Sciaenidae G. Cuvier, 1829

References

Salimi, N., Loh, K.H., Dhillon, S.K. & Chong, V.C. 2016. Fully-automated identification of fish species based on otolith contour: using short-time Fourier transform and discriminant analysis (STFT-DA). PeerJ 4: e1664. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1664 Reference page.
Santos, S., Gomes, M. d. F., Soares Ferreira, A. R., Sampaio, I. & Schneider, H.; 2012: Molecular phylogeny of the western South Atlantic Sciaenidae based on mitochondrial and nuclear data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Available online 4 October 2012, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, abstract
Sasaki, K., 1989: Phylogeny of the family Sciaenidae, with notes on its zoogeography (Teleostei, Perciformes). Memoirs of the Faculty of Fisheries Hokkaido University 36 (1/2): 1-137. Reference page.
Wong, J.Y., Chu, C., Chong, V.C., Dhillon, S.K. & Loh, K.H. 2016. Automated otolith image classification with multiple views: an evaluation on Sciaenidae. Journal of Fish Biology 89(2): 1324–1344. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13039 Reference page.

Links

Sciaenidae and its species in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2024. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 10/2023.
Genera of Sciaenidae (including synonyms) in Catalog of Fishes, Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. & van der Laan, R. (eds.) 2024. Catalog of Fishes electronic version.
Sciaenidae species list

Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Sciaenidae
català: Esciènid
čeština: Smuhovití
Deutsch: Umberfische
English: Croakers, Drums
فارسی: شوریده‌ماهیان
suomi: Rummuttajat
magyar: Árnyékhalfélék
日本語: ニベ科
lietuvių: Kupriai (ešeržuvės)
Nederlands: Ombervissen
norsk: Ørnefiskar
polski: Kulbinowate
русский: Горбылёвые
svenska: Havsgösfiskar
தமிழ்: சயீனைடீ
ไทย: วงศ์ปลาจวด, วงศ์ปลาม้า
Türkmençe: Mangkokokak
Tiếng Việt: Họ Cá lù đù
ייִדיש: אדלערפיש
中文（简体）: 石首鱼科

Sciaenidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Acanthuriformes.[2] They are commonly called drums or croakers[2][3] in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make.[4] The family consists of about 293[3] to 298 species[5] in about 66[3] or 67 genera.[2]
Taxonomy

Sciaenidae was first proposed as a family in 1829 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier.[1] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family in the suborder Sciaenoidei, alongside the rover family Emmelichthyidae, in the order Acanthuriformes.[2] Other authorities classify the Sciaenidae and the Emmelichthyidae as incertae sedis within the series Eupercaria.[6] The Catalog of Fishes retains this family within the Acanthuriformes but does not recognise the suborder Sciaenoidei.[7]

The 5th edition of Fishes of the World, Fishbase and Catalog of Fishes do not recognise subfamilies within the Sciaenidae[2][3][7] 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.[8]
Genera

The following genera are classified within the family Sciaenidae:[5]
Juvenile spotted drumfish, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Adult and juvenile spotted drumfish, St. Kitts

Aplodinotus Rafinesque, 1819
Argyrosomus De la Pylaie, 1835
Aspericorvina Fowler, 1834
Atractoscion Gill, 1862
Atrobucca Chu, Lo & Wu, 1963
Austronibea Trewavas, 1977
Bahaba Herre, 1935
Bairdiella Gill, 1861
Boesemania Trewavas, 1977
Cheilotrema Tschudi, 1846
Chrysochir Trevawas & Yazdani, 1966
Cilus Delfin, 1900
Collichthys Günther, 1860
Corvula Jordan & Eigenmann, 1889
Ctenosciaena Fowler & B. A. Bean, 1923
Cynoscion Gill, 1861
Daysciaena Talwar, 1971
Dendrophysa Trewavas, 1964
Elattarchus Jordan & Evermann, 1896
Eques Bloch 1793
Genyonemus Gill, 1861
Isopisthus Gill, 1862
†Jefitchia Frizzell & Dante, 1965[9]
Johnius Bloch, 1793
Kathala Lal Mohan 1969
Larimichthys Jordan & Starks, 1905
Larimus Cuvier, 1830
Leiostomus Lacépède, 1802
Lonchurus Bloch, 1793
Macrodon Schinz, 1822
Macrospinosa Lal Mohan, 1969
Megalonibea Chu, Lo & Wu, 1963
Menticirrhus Gill, 1861
Micropogonias Bonaparte, 1831
Miichthys Lin, 1938
Miracorvina Trewavas, 1962
Nebris Cuvier, 1830
Nibea Jordan & W. F. Thompson, 1911
Odontoscion Gill, 1862
Ophioscion Gill, 1863
Otolithes Oken, 1817
Otolithoides Fowler, 1933
Pachypops Gill, 1861
Pachyurus Agassiz, 1831
Panna Lal Mohan, 1969
Paralonchurus Bocourt, 1869
Paranebris Chao, Béarez and Robertson, 2001
Paranibea Trewavas, 1977
Pareques Gill in Goode, 1876
Pennahia Fowler, 1926
Pentheroscion Trewavas, 1962
Petilipinnis Casatti, 2002
Plagioscion Gill, 1861
Pogonias Lacépède, 1801
Protonibea Trewavas, 1971
Protosciaena Sasaki, 1989
Pseudolarimichthys Lo, Liu, Mohd Nor & Chen, 2017[10]
Pseudotolithus Bleeker, 1863
Pteroscion Fowler, 1925
Pterotolithus Fowler 1933
Robaloscion Béarez & Schwarzhans 2014
Roncador Jordan & Gilbert, 1880
Sciaena Linnaeus, 1758
Sciaenops Gill, 1863
Seriphus Ayres, 1860
Sonorolux Trewavas, 1977
Stellifer Oken, 1817
Totoaba Villamar, 1980
Umbrina Cuvier, 1816

Etymology

Sciaenidae takes its name from its type genus Sciaena which is derived from the Greek skiaina, which was used to refer to marine perch-like fishes.[11]
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.[12] Drums are somberly coloured, usually in shades of brown, with a lateral line on each side that extends to the tip of the caudal fin. The anal fin usually has two spines, while the dorsal fins are deeply notched or separate. Most species have a rounded or pointed caudal fin. The mouth is set low and is usually inferior. Their croaking mechanism involves the beating of abdominal muscles against the swim bladder.[12]

Sciaenids are found worldwide, in both fresh and salt water, and are typically benthic carnivores, feeding on invertebrates 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.[12]

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.[13]
Fisheries
An 1865 watercolor painting of Brazilian croaker by Jacques Burkhardt.
An 1865 watercolor painting of Brazilian croaker by Jacques Burkhardt.

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.[14] 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).[14] The future of croakers, like many other fish species in the United States and around the world is uncertain because overfishing continues to be a major threats. The population has decreased significantly which will affect their ability reproduce. In United States Croakers are managed by the federal and state governments to ensure that they're harvested sustainably. [15]
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.[4] The croaking mechanism is used by males as a mating call in some species.

To produce the croaking sound, special muscles vibrate against the swim bladder.[16] These muscles are called sonic muscle fibres, and run horizontally along the fish's body on both sides around the swim bladder, connected to a central tendon that surrounds the swim bladder ventrally. These sonic muscle fibres are repeatedly contracted against the swim bladder to produce the croaking sound that gives drum and croaker their common name, effectively using the swim bladder as a resonating chamber. The sciaenids' large swim bladder is more expansive and branched than other species, which aids in the croaking.[17] In some species the sonic muscle fibres are only present in males. These muscles strengthen during the mating season and are allowed to atrophy the rest of the time, deactivating the croaking mechanism.[16] In other species, most notably the Atlantic croaker, the croaking mechanism is present in both sexes and remains active year-round. These species are thought to use croaking for communication, such as announcing hazards and location when in turbid water.[16]
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.[16]
Timeline of genera
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sciaenidae.
References

Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 1–230. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1. PMID 25543675.
J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 497–502. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2023). "Sciaenidae" in FishBase. February 2023 version.
Ramcharitar, John; Gannon, Damon; Popper, Arthur (May 16, 2006), "Bioacoustics of fishes of the family Sciaenidae", Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 135 (5): 1409–1431, doi:10.1577/T05-207.1
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Sciaenidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
Ricardo Betancur-R; Edward O. Wiley; Gloria Arratia; et al. (2017). "Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (162). doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3. PMC 5501477. PMID 28683774.
"Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
Kunio Sasaki (1989). "Phylogeny of the family Sciaenidae, with notes on its Zoogeography (Teleostei, Peciformes)" (PDF). Memoirs of the Faculty of Fishes Hokkaido University. 36 (1–2): 1–137.
Don L. Frizzell; John H. Dante (1965). "Otoliths of some early Cenozoic fishes of the Gulf Coast". Journal of Paleontology. 39 (4): 687–718.
Lo P-C; Liu S-H; Nor SAM; Chen W-J (2017). "Molecular exploration of hidden diversity in the Indo-West Pacific sciaenid clade". PLOS ONE. 12 (4): e0176623. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1276623L. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176623. PMC 5409148. PMID 28453569.
Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (9 March 2023). "Series Eupercaria (Incertae sedis): Families Callanthidae, Centrogenyidae, Dinopercidae, Emmelichthyidae, Malacanthidae, Monodactylidae, Moronidae, Parascorpididae, Sciaenidae and Sillagidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-12-547665-2.
Dunn, Elizabeth Gunnison (20 March 2015). "Why These Overlooked Fish May Be the Tastiest (and Most Sustainable) - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (2011). Yearbook of fishery and aquaculture statistics 2009. Capture production (PDF). Rome: FAO. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-19.
"Global atlantic croaker production". husfarm.com.
Roach, John (November 7, 2005), Fish Croaks Like a Frog, But Why?, archived from the original on November 24, 2005, retrieved December 1, 2011

Collin, Shaun; N. Justin Marshall (2003). Sensory processing in aquatic environments. New York: Springer-Verlag New York. ISBN 978-0-387-95527-8.

Further reading
Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 363: 1–560. Retrieved 2011-05-19.