Platycephalus

Taxobox | name = "Platycephalus"
fossil_range = Early Eocene to Present [cite journal
last = Sepkoski
first = Jack
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A compendium of fossil marine animal genera
journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology
volume = 364
issue =
pages = p.560
publisher =
location =
date = 2002
url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class
doi =
id =
accessdate = 2007-12-25 ]

---

image_width = 200px
image_caption = an unidentified "Platycephalid"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Scorpaeniformes
familia = Platycephalidae
genus = "Platycephalus"
genus_authority = Bloch, 1795
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =See text.

"Platycephalus" is a genus of mostly-marine, bottom-dwelling fish in the family Platycephalidae.

Etymology and Taxonomic History

The name of the genus, "Platycephalus" is derived from the Greek words for "flat" and "head". This quite literally describes the major morphological distinguishing characteristic of the members of the genus (and the family).

The term was first used by Bloch in 1795, even though some of its species like "P. indicus"'s descriptions predate the genus' coinage.

The genus "Platycephalus" was also used to erroneously describe a species not closely related to the flathead family. The species once described as "Platycephalus undecimalis" is now properly classified as, "Centropomus undecimalis", the common snook.

pecies

* "Platycephalus" Bloch, 1795. Type genus.
** "Platycephalus arenarius" Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886
** "Platycephalus aurimaculatus" Knapp, 1987
** "Platycephalus bassensis" Cuvier, 1829
** "Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus" McCulloch, 1922
** "Platycephalus chauliodous" Knapp, 1991
** "Platycephalus conatus" Waite & McCulloch, 1915
** "Platycephalus cultellatus" Richardson, 1846
** "Platycephalus endrachtensis" Quoy & Gaimard, 1825
** "Platycephalus fuscus" Cuvier, 1829
** "Platycephalus indicus" Linnaeus, 1758. Type species. Synonymous with "P. spathula".
** "Platycephalus laevigatus" Cuvier, 1829
** "Platycephalus longispinis" Macleay, 1884
** "Platycephalus marmoratus" Stead, 1908
** "Platycephalus micracanthus" Sauvage, 1873
** "Platycephalus richardsoni" Castelnau, 1872
** "Platycephalus speculator" Klunzinger, 1872

References

*

ee also

* Flathead (fish)

External links