Oreosomatidae
by C. Karrer
Deep-bodied, compressed fishes; head strongly roughened in areas lacking scales; eye large, snout blunt, mouth upturned and jaws protrusible, jaw teeth small (in 1 or 2 rows). Fin spines strong, with longitudinal grooves, soft finrays unbranched (except for those of caudal); pectoral fins high on body, rounded; dorsal and anal fin bases long; caudal fin truncate or slightly rounded. Scales present, cycloid or ctenoid; anterior part of lateral line strongly arched.
Benthopelagic fishes, mostly on continental slope and mainly in temperate waters of the southern hemisphere; one species relatively frequent, but without commercial importance. In studied species the diet was fishes, cephalopods, polychaetes. A pelagic prejuvenile Oreosoma stage occurs in many (presumably in all) species, with conical projections or enlarged scales and totally spotted or marbled.
Genera 4; in Clofnam area 1.
Recent revision: Karrer, Eschmeyer and Myers (in preparation).
Note. The six presently accepted genera should be reduced to four since Cyttosoma is a synonym of Oreosoma and Xenocyttus is a synonym of Pseudocyttus.