Little velvetfishes or simply velvetfishes are a family, the Aploactinidae, of marine ray-finned fishes classified within the order Scorpaeniformes. They are small fish that have skin with a velvet texture. They live on the sea bottom close to the shore, at depths of up to . They are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Taxonomy Aploactinidae was first formally recognised as a family by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Edwin Chapin Starks in 1904.The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family within the suborder Scorpaenoidei which in turn is classified within the order Scorpaeniformes. Other authorities place the Scorpaenoidei within the Perciformes. The results of some studies suggest that the velvetfishes into an expanded stonefish clade, the family Synanceiidae because all of these fish have a curved sabre-like lacrimal spine that can project, using a switch-blade-like mechanism, out from underneath their eye. The name of the family is taken from that of the type genus, Aploactis. which is a compound of "haplo" meaning "single" or "simple", and actis, meaning "ray", presumed to refer to the simple, unbranched soft rays of the fins. Genera The following genera are classified within the family Aploactinidae: Acanthosphex Fowler, 1938 Adventor Whitley, 1952 Aploactis Temminck & Schlegel, 1843 Aploactisoma Castelnau, 1872 Bathyaploactis Whitley, 1933 Cocotropus Kaup, 1858 Erisphex Jordan & Starks 1904 Kanekonia Tanaka, 1915 Matsubarichthys Poss & Johnson, 1991 Neoaploactis Eschmeyer & Allen, 1978 Paraploactis Bleeker, 1864 Peristrominous Whitley, 1952 Prosoproctus Poss & Eschmeyer, 1979 Pseudopataecus Johnson, 2004 Ptarmus J. L. B. Smith, 1947 Sthenopus Richardson, 1848 Xenaploactis Poss & Eschmeyer, 1980 Characteristics Velvetfishes get their name from the modified, prickly scales which cover the body and give the fish a velvety appearance, although there are some species which do not have these modified scales and have smooth skin, They typically have knobby lumps on the head, although sometimes there may be sharp spines. All of the fin rays are unbranched and the spines in the anal fin are normally weakly developed and blunt. The dorsal fin has its origin over or nearly above the eye. The first 3 to 5 dorsal fin spines may be separate, from the rest of the dorsal fin and can be raised or have almost no membrane between them. These separate spines form a separate fin in 4 species. The pelvic fin has a single spine and 2 or 3 soft rays, the pectoral