Platycephalus is a genus of mostly-marine, bottom-dwelling fish in the family Platycephalidae

Platycephalidae

Platycephalidae is a family of marine fishes, most commonly referred to as flatheads. They are relatives of the popular lionfishes, belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes....

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Etymology and Taxonomic History

The name of the genus, Platycephalus is derived from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 words for "flat" and "head". This quite literally describes the major morphological distinguishing characteristic of the members of the genus (and the family).

The term was first used by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1795, even though some of its species like P. indicuss descriptions predate the genus' coinage.

The genus Platycephalus was also used to erroneously describe a species not closely related to the flathead family. The species once described as Platycephalus undecimalis is now properly classified as, Centropomus undecimalis, the common snook.

Species

• Platycephalus Bloch, 1795. Type genus.
  • Platycephalus arenarius Ramsay
    Ramsay
    Ramsay may refer to:*Ramsay , for people named Ramsay*Ramsay , an impact crater on the Moon*Ramsay, Calgary, Alberta, Canada*Ramsay, Michigan, U.S.*Ramsay *Electoral district of Ramsay, in South Australia...
    
     & Ogilby
    James Douglas Ogilby
    James Douglas Ogilby was an Australian ichthyologist.Ogilby was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was the son of zoologist William Ogilby. He received his education at Winchester College, England, and Trinity College, Dublin.Ogilby worked for the British Museum before joining the Australian Museum in...
    
    , 1886
  • Platycephalus aurimaculatus Knapp
    Knapp
    Knapp is a surname of German origin. It may refer to:- People :* Anthony Knapp, mathematician* Bliss Knapp, early Christian Scientist* Brooke Knapp, American aviator and realtor* Charles Knapp, American classical scholar...
    
    , 1987
  • Platycephalus bassensis Cuvier
    Georges Cuvier
    Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
    
    , 1829
  • Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus McCulloch
    Alan Riverstone McCulloch
    Alan Riverstone McCulloch was a prominent Australian ichthyologist.McCulloch was born in Sydney, and began his scientific career at the age of 13 as an unpaid assistant to Edgar Ravenswood Waite in the Australian Museum there; Waite encouraged McCulloch to study zoology...
    
    , 1922
  • Platycephalus chauliodous Knapp, 1991
  • Platycephalus conatus Waite
    Edgar Ravenswood Waite
    Edgar Ravenswood Waite was a British/Australian ichthyologist, ornithologist and zoologist.Waite was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, the second son of John Waite, a bank clerk,...
    
     & McCulloch, 1915
  • Platycephalus cultellatus Richardson
    Richardson
    Richardson is an English and Scottish surname, and may also refer to:-Places:Australia*Richardson, Australian Capital TerritoryCanada*Richardson, Saskatchewan*Richardson Islands, NunavutUnited States*Richardson, Texas*Richardson, Wisconsin...
    
    , 1846
  • Platycephalus endrachtensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825
  • Platycephalus fuscus Cuvier, 1829
  • Platycephalus indicus Linnaeus, 1758. Type species. Synonymous with P. spathula.
  • Platycephalus laevigatus Cuvier, 1829
  • Platycephalus longispinis Macleay
    William John Macleay
    Sir William John Macleay . was an Australian politician, zoologist and naturalist.-Early life:Macleay was born at Wick, Caithness, Scotland, second son of Kenneth Macleay of Keiss and his wife Barbara, née Horne...
    
    , 1884
  • Platycephalus marmoratus Stead
    David George Stead
    David George Stead was an Australian marine biologist, ichthyologist, oceanographer, conservationist and writer. He was born at St Leonards in Sydney, and educated at public schools and the Sydney Technical College. In 1909 he was a founder of, and during its early years the main driving force...
    
    , 1908
  • Platycephalus micracanthus Sauvage
    Henri Émile Sauvage
    - Works :Articles in The Popular Science Monthly:* “Amphibious Fishes,” in Popular Science Monthly Volume 9, September 1876* “The Archer-Fishes,” in Popular Science Monthly Volume 12, January 1878* “The Matamata,” in Popular Science Monthly Volume 16, March 1880...
    
    , 1873
  • Platycephalus richardsoni Castelnau
    François Louis de la Porte, comte de Castelnau
    François Louis Nompar de Caumont LaPorte, comte de Castelnau was a French naturalist, known also as François Laporte or Francis de Castelnau.-Life:Born in London, he studied natural history in Paris...
    
    , 1872
  • Platycephalus speculator
    Platycephalus speculator
    The Southern Flathead or Yank Flathead is a common species of flathead found around the southern coast and offshore islands of Australia growing to 90cm and inhabiting a depth of from 8 to 30 metres...
    
     Klunzinger, 1872