Editing Sciaenidae

{{Short description|Family of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Late Paleocene|present|[[Late Paleocene]] to present<ref name=:0/>}}
| image = Micropogonias undulatus RR 072120 0655 (50142583921).jpg
| image_caption = [[Atlantic croaker]], ''Micropogonias undulatus''
| taxon = Sciaenidae
| authority = [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1829<ref name = "van der Laan et al. 2014">{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue = 2 | pages = 1–230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = About 66–70, see text
}}

'''Sciaenidae''' is a [[family (biology)|family]] of [[ray-finned fish]]es belonging to the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Acanthuriformes]].<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=497–502 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |archive-date=2019-04-08 |access-date=2023-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are commonly called '''drums''' or '''croakers'''<ref name=Nelson5/><ref name=FishBase/> in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make.<ref name="BIoacoustics of Fishes of the Family Sciaenidae"/> The family consists of about 293<ref name=FishBase/> to 298 species<ref name=CoF/> in about 66<ref name=FishBase>{{FishBase family | family = Sciaenidae | month = February | year = 2023}}</ref> or 67 genera.<ref name=Nelson5/>

==Taxonomy==
Sciaenidae was first proposed as a family in 1829 by the French [[zoologist]] Georges Cuvier.<ref name = "van der Laan et al. 2014"/> The 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]'' classifies the family in the [[suborder]] [[Sciaenoidei]], alongside the rover family [[Emmelichthyidae]], in the order [[Acanthuriformes]].<ref name = Nelson5/> Other authorities classify the Sciaenidae and the Emmelichthyidae as ''[[incertae sedis]]'' within the series [[Eupercaria]].<ref name = Deepfin>{{cite journal | author1 = Ricardo Betancur-R | author2 = Edward O. Wiley | author3 = Gloria Arratia | author4 = Arturo Acero | author5 = Nicolas Bailly | author6 = Masaki Miya | author7 = Guillaume Lecointre | author8 = Guillermo Ortí | display-authors = 3 | title =Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes | journal = BMC Evolutionary Biology | volume = 17 | issue = 162 | year = 2017 | page = 162 | doi = 10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3| pmid = 28683774 | doi-access = free | pmc = 5501477 | bibcode = 2017BMCEE..17..162B }}</ref> The ''[[Catalog of Fishes]]'' retains this family within the Acanthuriformes but does not recognise the suborder Sciaenoidei.<ref name = CofF2>{{cite web | url = https://www.calacademy.org/scientists/catalog-of-fishes-classification/?_gl=1*13cdx0f*_ga*ODkzMTk1MjkzLjE2Nzg0Mzg5Mzk.*_ga_6Y72VP61VZ*MTY4MTE0MjczNy43Mi4xLjE2ODExNDQ0MzAuNjAuMC4w | title = Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification | access-date = 17 April 2023 | publisher = California Academy of Sciences}}</ref>

The 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'', ''[[FishBase|Fishbase]]'' and ''[[Catalog of Fishes]]'' do not recognise [[Subfamily|subfamilies]] within the Sciaenidae<ref name = Nelson5/><ref name = FishBase/><ref name = CofF2/> but many workers on these fishes do recognise subfamilies and tribes within the family. For example, in 1989 Kunio Sasaki erected a number of subfamilies and [[Tribe (biology)|tribe]]s.<ref name = Sasaki1989>{{cite journal | author = Kunio Sasaki | year = 1989 | title = Phylogeny of the family Sciaenidae, with notes on its Zoogeography (Teleostei, Peciformes) | journal = Memoirs of the Faculty of Fishes Hokkaido University | volume = 36 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 1–137 | url = https://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2115/21886/1/36(1_2)_P1-137.pdf}}</ref>

==Genera==
The following genera are classified within the family Sciaenidae:<ref name = CoF>{{Cof family|family=Sciaenidae|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref>
[[File:7080_aquaimages.jpg|thumb|Juvenile [[spotted drum]]fish, [[Bonaire]], Netherlands Antilles]]
[[File:3726_aquaimages.jpg|thumb|Adult and juvenile spotted drumfish, [[St. Kitts]]]]
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
{{Linked genus list
| Aplodinotus | [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1819
| Argyrosomus | [[Jean Bachelot La Pylaie|De la Pylaie]], 1835
| Aspericorvina | [[Henry Weed Fowler|Fowler]], 1834
| Atractoscion | [[Theodore Gill|Gill]], 1862
| Atrobucca |  [[Yuan-ting Chu|Chu]], [[Yun-ling Lo|Lo]] & [[Han-ling Wu|Wu]], 1963
| Austronibea | [[Ethelwynn Trewavas|Trewavas]], 1977
| Bahaba | [[Albert William Herre|Herre]], 1935
| Bairdiella | Gill, 1861
| Boesemania | Trewavas, 1977
| Cheilotrema | [[Johann Jakob von Tschudi|Tschudi]], 1846
| Chrysochir | Trevawas & [[G. M. Yazdani|Yazdani]], 1966
| Cilus | [[Federico T. Delfin|Delfin]], 1900
| Collichthys | [[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1860
| Corvula | [[David Starr Jordan|Jordan]] & [[Carl H. Eigenmann|Eigenmann]], 1889
| Ctenosciaena | Fowler & [[Barton Appler Bean|B. A. Bean]], 1923
| Cynoscion | Gill, 1861
| Daysciaena | [[Purnesh Kumar Talwar|Talwar]], 1971
| Dendrophysa | Trewavas, 1964
| Elattarchus | Jordan & [[Barton Warren Evermann|Evermann]], 1896
| ''[[Eques (fish)|Eques]]'' | [[Marcus Elieser Bloch|Bloch]] 1793
| Genyonemus | Gill, 1861
| Isopisthus | Gill, 1862
| Johnius | Bloch, 1793
| Kathala | [[R.S. Lal Mohan|Lal Mohan]] 1969
| Larimichthys | Jordan & [[Edwin Chapin Starks|Starks]], 1905
| Larimus | [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1830
| Leiostomus | [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1802
| Lonchurus | Bloch, 1793
| Macrodon | [[Heinrich Rudolf Schinz|Schinz]], 1822
| Macrospinosa | Lal Mohan, 1969
| Megalonibea | Chu, Lo & Wu, 1963
| Menticirrhus | Gill, 1861
| Micropogonias | [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1831
| Miichthys | [[Shu-Yan Lin|Lin]], 1938
| Miracorvina | Trewavas, 1962
| Nebris | Cuvier, 1830
| Nibea | Jordan & [[William Francis Thompson (biologist)|W. F. Thompson]], 1911
| Odontoscion | Gill, 1862 
| Ophioscion | Gill, 1863
| Otolithes | [[Lorenz Oken|Oken]], 1817
| Otolithoides | Fowler, 1933 
| Pachypops |  Gill, 1861
| Pachyurus | [[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]], 1831
| ''[[Panna (fish)|Panna]]'' | Lal Mohan, 1969
| Paralonchurus | [[Marie Firmin Bocourt|Bocourt]], 1869
| Paranebris | [[Ning Labbish Chao|Chao]], [[Philippe Béarez|Béarez]] and [[D. Ross Robertson|Robertson]], 2001
| Paranibea | Trewavas, 1977
| Pareques | Gill ''in'' [[George Brown Goode|Goode]], 1876
| Pennahia | Fowler, 1926
| Pentheroscion | Trewavas, 1962
| Petilipinnis | [[Lilian Casatti|Casatti]], 2002
| Plagioscion | Gill, 1861
| Pogonias | Lacépède, 1801
| Protonibea | Trewavas, 1971
| Protosciaena | [[Kunio Sasaki|Sasaki]], 1989
| Pseudolarimichthys | [[Pei-Chun Lo|Lo]], [[Shu-Hui Liu|Liu]], [[Siti Azizah Mohd Nor|Mohd Nor]] & [[Wei-Jen Chen|Chen]], 2017<ref name = Lo2017>{{Cite journal | author1 = Lo P-C | author2 = Liu S-H | author3 = Nor SAM | author4 = Chen W-J | year =2017 | title = Molecular exploration of hidden diversity in the Indo-West Pacific sciaenid clade | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 12 | issue =4 | page = e0176623 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0176623| pmid = 28453569 | pmc = 5409148 | bibcode = 2017PLoSO..1276623L | doi-access = free }}</ref>
| Pseudotolithus | [[Pieter Bleeker|Bleeker]], 1863
| Pteroscion | Fowler, 1925
| Pterotolithus | Fowler 1933
| Robaloscion | Béarez & [[Werner Schwarzhans|Schwarzhans]] 2014
| ''[[Roncador (fish)|Roncador]]'' | Jordan & [[Charles Henry Gilbert|Gilbert]], 1880
| Sciaena | [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| Sciaenops | Gill, 1863
| ''[[Seriphus (fish)|Seriphus]]'' | [[William Orville Ayres|Ayres]], 1860
| Sonorolux | Trewavas, 1977
| Stellifer | Oken, 1817
| Totoaba | [[Alejandro Villamar|Villamar]], 1980
| Umbrina | Cuvier, 1816
}}
{{div col end}}

=== Fossil genera ===
The following fossil genera are known:
* †''[[Advenasciaena]]'' <small>Kocsis, Lin, Bernard & Johari, 2024</small> [<nowiki/>[[otolith]]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Kocsis |first1=László |last2=Lin |first2=Chien-Hsiang |last3=Bernard |first3=Emma |last4=Johari |first4=Adibah |date=2024-12-01 |title=Late Miocene teleost fish otoliths from Brunei Darussalam (Borneo) and their implications for palaeoecology and palaeoenvironmental conditions |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2023.2271489 |journal=Historical Biology |volume=36 |issue=12 |pages=2642–2676 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2023.2271489 |bibcode=2024HBio...36.2642K |issn=0891-2963|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* †''[[Bruneisciaena]]'' <small>Kocsis, Lin, Bernard & Johari, 2024</small> [otolith]<ref name=":3" />
* †''[[Carnevalella]]'' <small>Bannikov, 2013</small> (only member of subfamily Carnevalellinae)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bannikov |first=A. F. |date=2013-03-01 |title=A new late neogene genus of roakers (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) from the Eastern Black Sea Region |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0031030113020032 |journal=Paleontological Journal |language=en |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=190–198 |doi=10.1134/S0031030113020032 |bibcode=2013PalJ...47..190B |issn=1555-6174}}</ref>
* †''[[Caucasisciaena]]'' <small>Bannikov, Carnevale & Landini, 2009</small><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Bannikov |first1=Alexandre Fedorovich |last2=Carnevale |first2=Giorgio |last3=Landini |first3=Walter |date=2009-09-01 |title=A new Early Miocene genus of the family Sciaenidae (Teleostei, Perciformes) from the eastern Paratethys |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631068309000438#bib3 |journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol |volume=8 |issue=6 |pages=535–544 |doi=10.1016/j.crpv.2009.03.001 |bibcode=2009CRPal...8..535B |issn=1631-0683}}</ref>
* †''[[Chaoia]]'' <small>Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018</small> [<nowiki/>otolith]''<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Bannikov |first1=A. F. |last2=Schwarzhans |first2=Werner |last3=Carnevale |first3=Giorgio |date=November 2018 |title=Neogene Paratethyan croakers (Teleostei, Sciaenidae) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328072951 |journal=Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |volume=124 |issue=3 |pages=535–571}}</ref>''
* †''[[Croatosciaena]]'' <small>Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018</small><ref name=":2" />
* †''[[Diaphyodus]]'' <small>von Schafhäutl, 1863</small><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Bellwood |first1=David R. |last2=Schultz |first2=Ortwin |last3=Siqueira |first3=Alexandre C. |last4=Cowman |first4=Peter F. |date=2019 |title=A review of the fossil record of the Labridae |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26595690 |journal=Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Serie A für Mineralogie und Petrographie, Geologie und Paläontologie, Anthropologie und Prähistorie |volume=121 |pages=125–194 |jstor=26595690 |issn=0255-0091}}</ref>
* †''[[Equetulus]]'' <small>Aguilera & Schwarzhans, 2014</small> [otolith]<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Aguilera |first1=Orangel |last2=Schwarzhans |first2=Werner |last3=Moraes-Santos |first3=Heloísa |last4=Nepomuceno |first4=Aguinaldo |date=2014-12-01 |title=Before the flood: Miocene otoliths from eastern Amazon Pirabas Formation reveal a Caribbean-type fish fauna |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981114001333 |journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences |volume=56 |pages=422–446 |doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2014.09.021 |bibcode=2014JSAES..56..422A |issn=0895-9811|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stringer |first1=Gary L. |last2=Ebersole |first2=Jun A. |last3=Ebersole |first3=Sandy M. |date=2020-09-01 |title=First description of the fossil otolith-based sciaenid, Equetulus silverdalensis n. comb., in the Gulf Coastal Plain, USA, with comments on the enigmatic distribution of the species |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c85q2cw |journal=PaleoBios |language=en |volume=37 |doi=10.5070/P9371049670 |issn=0031-0298|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* †''[[Jefitchia]]'' <small>[[Donald L. Frizzell|Frizzell]] & [[John H. Dante|Dante]], 1965</small><ref name="FD">{{cite journal |author1=Don L. Frizzell |author2=John H. Dante |year=1965 |title=Otoliths of some early Cenozoic fishes of the Gulf Coast |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=687–718}}</ref>
* †''[[Landinisciaena]]'' <small>Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018</small><ref name=":2" />
* †''[[Leptosciaena]]'' <small>Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018</small> [otolith]''<ref name=":2" />''
* †''[[Lompoquia]]'' <small>[[David Starr Jordan|Jordan]] & Gilbert, 1919</small>
* †''[[Pebasciaena]]'' <small>Schwarzhans, Aguilera, Scheyer & Carrillo-Briceño, 2022</small> [otolith]<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schwarzhans |first1=Werner W. |last2=Aguilera |first2=Orangel A. |last3=Scheyer |first3=Torsten M. |last4=Carrillo-Briceño |first4=Jorge D. |date=2022-02-24 |title=Fish otoliths from the middle Miocene Pebas Formation of the Peruvian Amazon |journal=Swiss Journal of Palaeontology |language=en |volume=141 |issue=1 |pages=2 |doi=10.1186/s13358-022-00243-5 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022SwJP..141....2S |issn=1664-2384}}</ref>
* †''[[Pontosciaena]]'' <small>Bannikov, Schwarzhans & Carnevale, 2018</small> [otolith]''<ref name=":2" />''
* †''[[Protolarimus]]'' <small>Aguilera & Schwarzhans, 2014</small> [otolith]<ref name=":4" />
* ?†''[[Pseudoumbrina]]'' <small>Menner, 1948</small><ref name=":1" />
* †''[[Taosciaena]]'' <small>Lin & Chien, 2022</small> [otolith]<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=Chien-Hsiang |last2=Chien |first2=Chi-Wei |date=2022-02-01 |title=Late Miocene otoliths from northern Taiwan: insights into the rarely known Neogene coastal fish community of the subtropical northwest Pacific |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2021.1916012 |journal=Historical Biology |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=361–382 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2021.1916012 |bibcode=2022HBio...34..361L |issn=0891-2963|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* †''[[Trewasciaena]]'' <small>Schwarzhans, 1993</small>''<ref name=":2" />''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Přikryl |first1=T. |last2=Brzobohatý |first2=R. |last3=Carnevale |first3=G. |date=2021-01-10 |title=Skeletal remains with otoliths in situ of the Miocene croaker Trewasciaena cf. kokeni (Teleostei, Sciaenidae) from the Pannonian of the Vienna Basin |url=http://www.geology.cz/bulletin/contents/art1813 |journal=Bulletin of Geosciences |pages=19–28 |doi=10.3140/bull.geosci.1813 |issn=1802-8225|doi-access=free }}</ref> 
The fossil genus ''[[Ioscion]]'' may be either a drumfish or belong to its own family more closely related to [[Carangidae|carangids]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=California Academy of Sciences |url=https://archive.org/details/occasionalpaper00calif/occasionalpaper00calif/ |title=Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences |date=1890 |publisher=San Francisco : California Academy of Sciences |others=California Academy of Sciences}}</ref>

The former [[Paratethys|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.''<ref name=":2" />''

==Etymology==
Sciaenidae takes its name from its [[type genus]] ''Sciaena'' which is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''skiaina'', which was used to refer to marine [[perch]]-like fishes.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/eupercaria/ | title = Series Eupercaria (Incertae sedis): Families Callanthidae, Centrogenyidae, Dinopercidae, Emmelichthyidae, Malacanthidae, Monodactylidae, Moronidae, Parascorpididae, Sciaenidae and Sillagidae | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1 = Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | date = 9 March 2023 | access-date = 17 April 2023 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | archive-date = 17 February 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220217162719/https://etyfish.org/eupercaria/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>

==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.<ref name=EoF>{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author1=Johnson, G.D.  |author2=Gill, A.C. |name-list-style=amp |year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|page= 182|isbn= 978-0-12-547665-2}}</ref> 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 [[Anatomical terms of location#Superior and inferior|inferior]]. Their [[Sciaenidae#Croaking mechanism|croaking]] mechanism involves the beating of abdominal muscles against the [[swim bladder]].<ref name=EoF/>

Sciaenids are found worldwide, in both fresh and salt water, and are typically [[Benthic zone|benthic]] carnivores, feeding on [[invertebrate]]s and smaller fish. They are small to medium-sized, bottom-dwelling fishes living primarily in estuaries, bays, and muddy river banks. Most of these fish types avoid clear waters, such as coral reefs and oceanic islands, with a few notable exceptions (e.g. [[Odontoscion dentex|reef croaker]], [[Pareques acuminatus|high-hat]], and [[spotted drum]]). They live in warm-temperate and tropical waters and are best represented in major rivers in [[Southeast Asia]], northeast [[South America]], the [[Gulf of Mexico]], and the [[Gulf of California]].<ref name=EoF/>

In the United States most fishers consider freshwater drum to be [[rough fish]] not suitable for eating, similar to [[carp]], [[gar]], and [[buffalo fish]], although there are a number of people that enjoy fishing for these species and eating them, despite their limitations.<ref>
{{cite news 
| title = Why These Overlooked Fish May Be the Tastiest (and Most Sustainable) - WSJ 
| newspaper = Wall Street Journal 
| date = 20 March 2015 
| url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-it-comes-to-fish-one-chefs-trash-is-anothers-daily-special-1426870428 
| access-date = 2017-07-02 
 | last1 = Dunn 
| first1 = Elizabeth Gunnison 
}}
</ref>

==Fisheries==
[[File:Corvina (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 11 July 1865).jpg|alt=An 1865 watercolor painting of Brazilian croaker by Jacques Burkhardt.|left|thumb|An 1865 watercolor painting of Brazilian croaker by [[Jacques Burkhardt]].]]
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.<ref name=FAO/> However, a large proportion of the catch is not reported at species level; in the FAO fishery statistics, the category "Croakers, drums, not elsewhere included", is the largest one within sciaenids, with annual landings of 431,000–780,000 tonnes in 2000–2009, most of which were reported from the western Indian Ocean (FAO fishing area 51) and northwest Pacific (FAO fishing area 61).<ref name=FAO>{{Cite book
| publisher = [[FAO]]
| last = FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
| title = Yearbook of fishery and aquaculture statistics 2009. Capture production
| location = Rome
| date = 2011
| url = ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/CDrom/CD_yearbook_2009/root/capture/yearbook_capture.pdf
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170519070831/ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/CDrom/CD_yearbook_2009/root/capture/yearbook_capture.pdf
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2017-05-19
}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://husfarm.com/product/atlantic-croaker|title=Global atlantic croaker production|work=husfarm.com}}</ref>

== Croaking mechanism ==
A notable trait of sciaenids is the ability to produce a "croaking" sound. However, the pitch and use of croaking varies species to species. The croaking ability is a distinguishing characteristic of sciaenids.<ref name="BIoacoustics of Fishes of the Family Sciaenidae">{{Citation| last1 = Ramcharitar| first1 = John | last2 = Gannon| first2 = Damon| last3=Popper| first3=Arthur| title = Bioacoustics of fishes of the family Sciaenidae| journal = Transactions of the American Fisheries Society| volume = 135| issue = 5|pages=1409–1431| date = May 16, 2006| doi = 10.1577/T05-207.1}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="natgeo"/> These muscles are called sonic muscle fibres, and run horizontally along the fish's body on both sides around the swim bladder, connected to a central [[tendon]] that surrounds the swim bladder ventrally. These sonic muscle fibres are repeatedly contracted against the swim bladder to produce the croaking sound that gives drum and croaker their common name, effectively using the swim bladder as a [[Resonating chamber (anatomy)|resonating chamber]]. The sciaenids' large swim bladder is more expansive and branched than other species, which aids in the croaking.<ref name="Sensory processing">{{cite book| last = Collin| first = Shaun|author2=N. Justin Marshall | title = Sensory processing in aquatic environments| publisher = Springer-Verlag New York | year = 2003 | location = New York| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7yAXnk8sgPoC&q=Sciaenidae+croaking+mechanism&pg=PA176| isbn =978-0-387-95527-8}}</ref> In some species the sonic muscle fibres are only present in males. These muscles strengthen during the [[Estrous cycle|mating season]] and are allowed to atrophy the rest of the time, deactivating the croaking mechanism.<ref name="natgeo"/> In other species, most notably the [[Atlantic croaker]], the croaking mechanism is present in both sexes and remains active year-round. These species are thought to use croaking for communication, such as announcing hazards and location when in turbid water.<ref name="natgeo">{{Citation | last = Roach | first = John  | title = Fish Croaks Like a Frog, But Why? | date = November 7, 2005 | url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1107_051107_croaker.html  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051124134327/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1107_051107_croaker.html  | url-status = dead  | archive-date = November 24, 2005  | access-date = December 1, 2011}}</ref>

===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.<ref name="natgeo"/>

==Timeline of genera==
{{Commons category|Sciaenidae}}

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  id:OMN	  value:blue
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 bar:eratop
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 bar:NAM1
 bar:NAM2
 bar:NAM3
 bar:NAM4
 bar:NAM5
 bar:NAM6
 bar:NAM7
 bar:NAM8
 bar:NAM9
 bar:NAM10
 bar:NAM11
 bar:NAM12
 bar:NAM13
 bar:NAM14
 bar:NAM15
 bar:NAM16

 bar:space
 bar:period
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PlotData=
 align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25
 shift:(7,-4)

 bar:periodtop
 from: -65.5   till:  -55.8    color:paleocene  text:[[Paleocene]]
 from: -55.8   till:  -33.9    color:eocene  text:[[Eocene]]
 from: -33.9   till:  -23.03    color:oligocene  text:[[Oligocene]]
 from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:[[Miocene]]
 from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:[[Plio.]]
 from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:[[Pleist.]]
 from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:[[Holocene|H.]]

 bar:eratop
 from: -65.5   till:  -23.03    color:paleogene  text:[[Paleogene]]
 from: -23.03    till: -2.588    color:neogene    text:[[Neogene]]
 from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:[[Quaternary|Q.]]

PlotData=
 align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left

 color:oligocene bar:NAM1  from:	-28.4	till:	0	text:	[[Larimus]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM2  from:	-23.03	till:	0	text:	[[Argyrosomus]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM3  from:	-23.03	till:	0	text:	[[Ctenosciaena]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM4 from:	-23.03	till:	0	text:	[[Nebris]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM5  from:	-23.03	till:	0	text:	[[Pogonias]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM6  from:	-23.03	till:	0	text:	[[Umbrina]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM7  from:	-15.97	till:	0	text:	[[Sciaenops]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM8  from:	-11.608	till:	0	text:	[[Bairdiella]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM9  from:	-11.608	till:	0	text:	[[Cynoscion]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM10  from:	-11.608	till:	0	text:	[[Menticirrhus]]
 color:miocene bar:NAM11  from:	-11.608	till:	0	text:	[[Sciaena]]
 color:pliocene bar:NAM12  from:	-5.332	till:	0	text:	[[Aplodinotus]]
 color:pliocene bar:NAM13  from:	-5.332	till:	0	text:	[[Seriphus (fish)|Seriphus]]
 color:pleistocene bar:NAM14  from:	-2.588	till:	0	text:	[[Genyonemus]]
 color:pleistocene bar:NAM15  from:	-2.588	till:	0	text:	[[Pennahia]]
 color:pleistocene bar:NAM16  from:	-2.588	till:	0	text:	[[Spotfin_croaker|Roncador]]

PlotData=
 align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25

 bar:period
 from: -65.5   till:  -55.8    color:paleocene  text:[[Paleocene]]
 from: -55.8   till:  -33.9    color:eocene  text:[[Eocene]]
 from: -33.9   till:  -23.03    color:oligocene  text:[[Oligocene]]
 from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:[[Miocene]]
 from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:[[Plio.]]
 from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:[[Pleist.]]
 from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:[[Holocene|H.]]

 bar:era
 from: -65.5   till:  -23.03    color:paleogene  text:[[Paleogene]]
 from: -23.03    till: -2.588    color:neogene    text:[[Neogene]]
 from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:[[Quaternary|Q.]]

</timeline>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal | last = Sepkoski | first = Jack | title =  A compendium of fossil marine animal genera | journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology | volume = 363 | pages =1–560 | year = 2002 | url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class | access-date = 2011-05-19 }}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q216634}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sciaenidae| ]]
[[Category:Acanthuriformes families]]
[[Category:Extant Oligocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Georges Cuvier]]