Proteracanthus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Moroniformes |
Family: | Ephippidae |
Genus: | Proteracanthus Günther, 1859 |
Species: | P. sarissophorus
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Binomial name | |
Proteracanthus sarissophorus (Cantor, 1849)
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Synonyms[1] | |
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Proteracanthus is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes. The only species in the genus is Proeracanthus sarissophorus which occurs in coral reefs around Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra.[1] This species is also known as the harpoon spadefish,[2] or in Malaysia as drummer, knightfish, rudderfish or sea chub. This species grows to a length of 32.5 centimetres (12.8 in) SL.[1]
Proteracanthus was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1859 by the German-born British herpetologist and ichthyologist Albert Günther. Its only species was Crenidens sassiphorus[3] which had been described in 1849 by the Danish zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor with its type locality given as the Sea of Penang in Malaya.[4] This taxon belongs to the family Ephippidae[4] in the order Moroniformes.[5]
Proteracanthus is a combination of proteros, meaning “before” or “earlier”, with acanthus, a “spine” or “thorn”. This is a reference to the horizontal spine in front of the dorsal fin. The specific name combines sarissa, a “pike”, with phorus, meaning “to bear”, an allusion to the elongated fourth spine of the dorsal fin.[6]