Zaniolepis

This article is about the Cottoids. For the wrasse, see Comb wrasse.

Zaniolepis, the combfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, it is one of two genera in the family Zaniolepididae. These fishes are native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Z. frenata that was a source of food to the Native American inhabitants of San Nicolas Island off the coast of southern California, United States during the Middle Holocene.^[5]

Zaniolepis Temporal range: Pleistocene to Present[1]
Longspine Combfish (Z. latipinnis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Suborder:	Cottoidei
Superfamily:	Zaniolepidoidea Shinohara, 1994[2]
Family:	Zaniolepididae Jordan & Gilbert, 1883
Subfamily:	Zaniolepidinae Jordan & Gilbert, 1883[3]
Genus:	Zaniolepis Girard, 1858
Type species
Zaniolepis latipinnis Girard, 1858[4]
Synonyms[4]
Xantocles Jordan, 1917

Taxonomy

Zaniolepis was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1858 by the French zoologist Charles Frédéric Girard when he described Z. longispinis from Fort Steilacoom on Puget Sound in Washington.^[6] This genus is one of two genera in the family Zaniolepidae, each of which is classified within a monotypic subfamily.^[7] The subfamily Zaniolepinae, along with the Oxylebiinae, haves been classified as two subfamilies in the Hexagrammidae.^[2]

Etymology

Zaniolepis is a combination of xanion, which is a Greek word for a comb used to card wool, and lepis, meaning "scale", referring to the overlapping, almost ctenoid scales of Z. latipinnis.^[8]

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:^[9]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Zaniolepis frenata C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889	shortspine combfish	Pacific Ocean southern Oregon, USA to central Baja California, Mexico.
	Zaniolepis latipinnis Girard, 1858	longspine combfish	northeast Pacific Ocean

Characteristics

Zaniolepis combfishes have a deep incision in the rear third their dorsal fin and the first 3 spines in the dorsal fin are highly elongated, extremely so in Z. latipinnis. The anal fin contains 3 spines while the first 2 rays in the pelvic fins are long and robust and extend past the origin of the anal fin. The caudal fin truncated.^[7] These fishes reach a maximum length of 25 cm (9.8 in).^[9]

Distribution and habitat

Zaniolepis combfishes are found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Baja California. They are benthic fishes.^[9]