Queenfish
| Queenfish Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Sciaenidae |
| Genus: | Seriphus Ayres, 1860 |
| Species: | S. politus |
| Binomial name | |
| Seriphus politus Ayres, 1860 | |
The queenfish (Seriphus politus) is a species of fish in the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, where it occurs along the North American coastline from Oregon to Baja California; it has been recorded as far north as British Columbia. Its centre of distribution is the Southern California Bight. It is also known commonly as the queen croaker. This is the only species in the monotypic genus Seriphus. A fossil relative, S. lavenbergi, is known from the Late Miocene-aged Puente Formation of the Los Angeles Basin.