Sebastinae is a subfamily of marine fish belonging to the familyScorpaenidae in the orderScorpaeniformes. Their common names include rockfishes, rock perches, ocean perches, sea perches, thornyheads, scorpionfishes, sea ruffes and rockcods. Despite the latter name, they are not closely related to the cods in the genus Gadus, nor the rock cod, Lotella rhacina.
Sebastinae species have a compressed body with the head typically having ridges and spines. The gill membranes are not attached to the isthmus. There is a venom gland in the spines of the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins. The largest species is the shortraker rockfish ( Sebastes borealis) which attains a maximum total length of 108 cm (43 in) while the smallest species is Sebastes koreanus which reaches a maximum total length of 13.7 cm (5.4 in).[2]
Distribution and habitat
Sebastinae rockfishes are found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans with most species in the largest genus, the ovoviviparousSebastes with over 100 species, in the North Pacific. They can be found in marine and brackish waters.[2]