Apistidae

Apistidae, the wasp scorpionfishes, is a family of scorpaeniform fishes native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.[1] They are fairly small fishes reaching lengths of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) TL in Cheroscorpaena tridactyla[2] to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL in Apistus carinatus.[1]

Apistidae
Ocellated waspfish (Apistus carinatus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Scorpaeniformes
Family:
Apistidae

Kaup, 1873
Genera[1]

Apistops
Apistus
Cheroscorpaena

A recent study placed the waspfishes into an expanded stonefish clade (Synanceiidae) because all of these fish have a lachrymal saber that can project a switch-blade-like mechanism out from underneath their eye.[3][4]

  1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Apistidae" in FishBase. December 2012 version.
  2. Mees G.F. (1964): A new fish of the family Scorpaenidae from New Guinea. Zoologische Mededelingen, 40 (1): 1-4
  3. Smith, W. Leo; Smith, Elizabeth; Richardson, Clara (February 2018). "Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Flatheads, Scorpionfishes, Sea Robins, and Stonefishes (Percomorpha: Scorpaeniformes) and the Evolution of the Lachrymal Saber". Copeia. 106 (1): 94–119. doi:10.1643/CG-17-669.
  4. Willingham, AJ (April 13, 2018). "Stonefish are already scary, and now scientists have found they have switchblades in their heads". CNN.


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