Scorpaeniformes
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The Scorpaeniformes are known as "mail-cheeked" fishes due to their distinguishing characteristic, the suborbital stay: a backwards extension of the third circumorbital bone (part of the lateral head/cheek skeleton, below the eye socket) across the cheek to the preoperculum, to which it is connected in most species.
Scorpaeniform fishes are carnivorous, mostly feeding on crustaceans and on smaller fish. They typically have spiny heads, and rounded pectoral and caudal fins. Most species are less than 30 cm (12 in) in length, but the full size range of the order varies from the velvetfishes, which can be just 2 cm (0.79 in) long as adults, to the lingcod, which can reach 150 cm (4.9 ft) in length. For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry Get back to Actinopterygii | |||
Blob sculpin | Eastern spiny gurnard | False kelpfish | Fourspine sculpin |
Gopher rockfish | Japanese fluvial sculpin | Luna lionfish | Red Indianfish |
Reef stonefish | Rough snailfish | Roughskin sculpin | Spiny red gurnard |
Spotfin lionfish | Twinspot lionfish | Zebra lionfish |