The Gempylidae are a family of scombriform ray-finned fishes commonly known as snake mackerels or escolars. The family includes about 25 species.
They are elongated fishes with a similar appearance to barracudas, having a long dorsal fin, usually with one or finlets trailing it. The largest species, including the snoek (Leionura atun), grow up to long, and the oilfish (Ruvettus pretiosus) can reach , though they rarely surpass . Like the barracudas, they are predators, with fang-like teeth.
Taxonomy Subfamily Clade 1 Mthethwa, 2023 Genus Diplospinus Diplospinus multistriatus Maul, 1948 (Striped escolar) Genus Gempylus Gempylus serpens G. Cuvier, 1829 (Snake mackerel) Genus Nealotus Nealotus tripes J. Y. Johnson, 1865 (Black Snake mackerel) Genus Nesiarchus Nesiarchus nasutus J. Y. Johnson, 1862 (Black gemfish) Genus Paradiplospinus Paradiplospinus antarcticus Andriashev, 1960 (Antarctic escolar) Paradiplospinus gracilis (A. B. Brauer, 1906) (Slender escolar) Genus Promethichthys Promethichthys prometheus (G. Cuvier, 1832) (Roudi escolar) Genus Rexea Rexea alisae C. D. Roberts & A. L. Stewart, 1997 Rexea antefurcata Parin, 1989 (Long-finned escolar) Rexea bengalensis (Alcock, 1894) (Bengal escolar) Rexea brevilineata Parin, 1989 (Short-lined escolar) Rexea nakamurai Parin, 1989 (Nakamura's escolar) Rexea prometheoides (Bleeker, 1856) (Royal escolar) Rexea solandri (G. Cuvier, 1832) (Silver gemfish) Genus Rexichthys Rexichthys johnpaxtoni Parin & Astakhov, 1987 (Paxton's escolar) Genus Leionura Leionura atun (Euphrasén, 1791) (Snoek) Genus Thyrsites Thyrsites lepidopodea (Lesson, 1831) (White snake mackerel)) Genus Thyrsitoides Thyrsitoides marleyi Fowler, 1929 (Blacksail snake mackerel) Thyrsitoides zarahoustrae Arambourg, 1967 Thyrsitoides cangrandei Genus Tongaichthys Tongaichthys robustus I. Nakamura & E. Fujii, 1983 (Tonga escolar) Subfamily Clade 2 Mthethwa, 2023 Genus Epinnula Epinnula magistralis Poey, 1854 Epinnula pacifica Ho, Motomura, Hata & Jiang, 2017 Genus Lepidocybium Lepidocybium flavobrunneum (A. Smith, 1843) (Escolar) Genus Neoepinnula Neoepinnula americana (M. G. Grey, 1953) (American sackfish) Neoepinnula minetomai Nakayama, Y. Kimura & Endo, 2014 (Large-eyed sackfish) Neoepinnula orientalis (Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924) (Sackfish) Genus Ruvettus Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco, 1833 (Oilfish) The Gempylidae are broadly categorized into two clades; Clade 1, which includes more derived & elongate genera, and Clade 2, which includes more basal & fusiform genera. The Trichiuridae are an outgroup.
Gempylidae are believed to have first evolved at least 20 million years after the Late Cretaceus Extinction event, potentially due to tectonic plate movements.
Fossil genera The following fossil genera are known:
†Abadzekhia Bannikov, 1985 (Early Oligocene of North Caucasus, Russia and Germany) †Contemptor Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2026 (Early Eocene of northern Italy) †Chelifichthys Carnevale, 2006 (Late Miocene (Messinian) of Algeria) †Eothyrsites Chapman, 1934 (mid-late Eocene of New Zealand) †Hemithyrsites Daniltshenko, 1960 (Oligocene of Poland & Romania) †Krampusichthys Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2025 (Early Eocene of Italy) †Laurinichthys Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2025 (Early Eocene of Italy) †Progempylus Casier, 1966 (Early Eocene of England) †Thyrsitocephalus vom Rath, 1859 (Early Oligocene of Switzerland) †Wudelenia Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2025 (Early Eocene of Italy)
Timeline
See also Euzaphlegidae, an extinct group of relatives from Paleocene to Late Miocene-aged marine strata of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains,Danilʹchenko, P. G. (1967). Bony fishes of the Maikop deposits of the Caucasus. India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Italy,Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2008). "A new genus and species of putative euzaphlegid fish from the Eocene of Bolca in northern Italy (Periformes, Trichiuroidea)." Studi e Ricerche sui giacimenti Terziari di Bolca, XII Miscellanea Paleontologica 9: 99–107. and Southern California.David, Lore Rose (January 10, 1943). Miocene Fishes of Southern California. Geological Society of America. pp. 104–115.
References
External links
Scientia Marina - Population biology of the roudi escolar Promethichthys prometheus (Gempylidae) off the Canary Islands Deep water fish species - Lanzarote