Sciaenidae

Sciaenidae was first proposed as a family in 1829 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier. The Catalog of Fishes retains this family within the Acanthuriformes but does not recognise the suborder Sciaenoidei. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World, Fishbase and Catalog of Fishes do not recognise subfamilies within the Sciaenidae ==Genera==

The following genera are classified within the family Sciaenidae: , St. Kitts Fossil genera The following fossil genera are known: • †Advenasciaena Kocsis, Lin, Bernard & Johari, 2024 [otolith] • †Bruneisciaena Kocsis, Lin, Bernard & Johari, 2024 [otolith] • †Caucasisciaena Bannikov, Carnevale & Landini, 2009 • †Chaoia Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018 [otolith]'''' • †Croatosciaena Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018 • †Equetulus Aguilera & Schwarzhans, 2014 [otolith] • ?†Fisherichthys Weems, 1999 • †Jefitchia Frizzell & Dante, 1965 • †Landinisciaena Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018 • †Pontosciaena Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018 [otolith]'' • †Trewasciaena Schwarzhans, 1993'' The fossil genus Ioscion may be either a drumfish or belong to its own family more closely related to carangids. The former Paratethys Sea appears to have been a hotspot of endemism for many of these extinct sciaenid taxa, as many articulated remains and otoliths are known from this region.'''' ==Etymology==

Sciaenidae takes its name from its type genus Sciaena which is derived from the Greek skiaina, which was used to refer to marine perch-like fishes. ==Characteristics==

A sciaenid has a long dorsal fin reaching nearly to the tail, and a notch between the rays and spines of the dorsal, although the two parts are actually separate. Drums are somberly coloured, usually in shades of brown, with a lateral line on each side that extends to the tip of the caudal fin. The anal fin usually has two spines, while the dorsal fins are deeply notched or separate. Most species have a rounded or pointed caudal fin. The mouth is set low and is usually inferior. Their croaking mechanism involves the beating of abdominal muscles against the swim bladder. ==Fisheries==

. They are excellent food and sport fish, and are commonly caught by surf and pier fishers. Some are important commercial fishery species, notably small yellow croaker with reported landings of 218,000–407,000 tonnes in 2000–2009; according to FAO fishery statistics, it was the 25th most important fishery species worldwide. The future of croakers, like many other fish species in the United States and around the world is uncertain because overfishing continues to be a major threat. The population has decreased significantly which will affect their ability reproduce. In United States Croakers are managed by the federal and state governments to ensure that they're harvested sustainably. == Croaking mechanism ==

A notable trait of sciaenids is the ability to produce a "croaking" sound. However, the pitch and use of croaking varies from species to species. The croaking ability is a distinguishing characteristic of sciaenids. The croaking mechanism is used by males as a mating call in some species. To produce the croaking sound, special muscles vibrate against the swim bladder. In some species the sonic muscle fibres are only present in males. These muscles strengthen during the mating season and are allowed to atrophy the rest of the time, deactivating the croaking mechanism. Croaking in communication In some species, croaking is used for communication aside from attracting mates. For those species that have year-round croaking ability, the croaks may serve as a low-aggression warning during group feeding, as well as to communicate location in cloudy water. In those species that lack the ability to croak year-round, croaking is usually restricted to males for attracting mates. A disadvantage to the croaking ability is that it allows bottlenose dolphin to easily locate large groups of croaker and drum as they broadcast their position, indicating large amounts of food for the dolphins. ==Timeline of genera==

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