ABSTRACT
This order comprises three families in our area. There are many species in the order with most occurring in cold marine and freshwater. The largest family in our area is the Scorpaenidae, followed by the smaller families Triglidae and Peristediidae, and the only cottoid family, Psychrolutidae. These four families are treated below. Another cottoid family, Cyclopteridae, reaches the edge of our area in North Carolina but the only species, Cyclopterus lumpus, presumably does not spawn here. The ELH stages of Cyclopterus are described by Fahay 1983. One or two Indo-Pacific species of scorpaenid fishes has been introduced to our area (Pterois volitans and P. miles) and is cause for some management concerns as an exotic introduction and the venomous nature of its fin spines (Hare & Whitfield 2003). The family Dactylopteridae has often been placed within or near the scorpaeniforms, but a recent study by Imamura (2000) places it in a group with the malacanthids as I have followed in this study. Recently, Imamura & Yabe (2004) presented an alternative phlogenetic hypothesis for the order. The order comprises two lineages with the scorpaenoid suborders Scorpaenoidei and Platycephaloidei and the cottoid suborders Anoplopomatoidei, Zaniolepidoidei, Hexagrammoidei, and Cottoidei. The propose that the scorpaenoids are related with the perciform family Serranidae and the cottoid lineage related to the perciform suborder Zoarcoidei. They conclude by recognizing a suborder Scorpaenoidei that contains the scorpaenoid lineage plus Serranidae and a suborder Cottoidei that contains the cottoid lineage and closely aligned with the Zoarcoidei. Their argument is strong and gross examination of larvae supports it. However for this book I retain the conventional arrangement.
