Wreckfish


The wreckfish are a small group of ray-finned fish in the genus Polyprion, belonging to the monotypic family Polyprionidae in the order Acropomatiformes.
They are deep-water marine fish and can be found on the ocean bottom, where they inhabit caves and shipwrecks. Their scientific name is from Greek poly meaning "many" and prion meaning "saw", a reference to their prominent spiny fins.
Atlantic wreckfish are a long-lived commercial species in the Mediterranean, the south-eastern Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

There are two species:
The genera Lateolabrax and Stereolepis have previously been classified in Polyprionidae, but they are currently placed in their own monogeneric families Lateolabracidae and Stereolepididae.