Triglidae
family of fishes
Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaenoid ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.
Taxonomy
Triglidae was first described as a family in 1815 by the French polymath and naturalist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. In 1883 Jordan and Gilbert formally designated Trigla lyra, which had been described by Linnaeus in 1758, as the type species of the genus Trigla and so of the family Triglidae. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family within the suborder Platycephaloidei in the order Scorpaeniformes. Other authorities differ and do not consider the Scorpaeniformes to be a valid order because the Perciformes order is not monophyletic without the taxa within the Scorpaeniformes being included. These authorities consider the Triglidae to belong to the suborder Triglioidei, along with the family Peristediidae, within the Perciformes.
The family Peristediidae is sometimes classified as distinct, but phylogenetic analyses indicate that it nests within this family, and it is included in the Triglidae as the subfamily Peristediinae by Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes.
Etymology
Triglidae's name is based on that of Linnaeus's genus Trigla, the name of which is a classical name for the red mullet (Mullus barbatus), Artedi thought the red mullet and the gurnards were the same as fishes from both taxa are known to create sounds taken out of the water as well as being red in color. Linnaeus realized they were different and classified Trigla as a gurnard, in contradiction of the ancient usage.
The public source identifies “Triglidae” as family of fishes. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Triglidae, family and fishes.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Triglidae”, the useful work is to connect “family of fishes” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q250699. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1815, 1883 and 1758.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Triglidae”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Triglidae primary sources, Triglidae archive and Triglidae research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Triglidae”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Triglidae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.