Scorpaeniform

scorpaeniform, (order Scorpaeniformes), also called mail-cheeked fish, any one of a group of bony fishes that are characterized by a plate of bone running across each cheek. The scorpaeniforms are widespread throughout the oceans of the world. They are believed to have originated in warm marine waters but have invaded temperate and even Arctic and Antarctic seas, as well as fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere. They are a highly successful biological group, occurring in the sea from the middle of the littoral (coastal) zone down to depths of at least 4,000 metres (about 13,100 feet). Scorpaeniforms inhabit some deep freshwater lakes but are more abundant in cold streams and rivers.

Scorpaeniforms are often divided into seven suborders, only three of which have more than one family—the Scorpaenoidei (12 families), the Platycephaloidei (five families), and the Cottoidei (11 families). The best-known groups are the scorpion fishes and rockfishes (family Scorpaenidae); sea robins, or gurnards (Triglidae); flatheads (Platycephalidae); and sculpins (Cottidae). The flying gurnards (Dactylopteridae) are considered by some authorities to belong in this order, though others place them in the order Dactylopteriformes. Since scorpaeniforms are closely related to the perciforms, some authorities classify the group as a suborder of the Perciformes.