Weevers (or weeverfish) are nine extant species of fishes of family Trachinidae, order Trachiniformes, part of the Percomorpha clade. They are long (up to 37 cm), mainly brown in color, and have venomous spines on their first dorsal fin and gills. During the day, weevers bury themselves in sand, just showing their eyes, and snatch prey as it comes past, which consists of shrimp and small fish. Weevers are unusual in not having swim bladders, as do most bony fish, and as a result, sink as soon as they stop actively swimming. With the exception of T. cornutus from the southeast Pacific, all species in this family are restricted to the eastern Atlantic (including the Mediterranean). A tenth, extinct species, Callipterus speciosus, is known from the Monte Bolca lagerstätte of the Lutetian epoch. Weevers are sometimes used as an ingredient in the recipe for bouillabaisse. Weevers are sometimes erroneously called 'weaver fish', although the word is unrelated. In fact, the word 'weever' is believed to derive from the Old French word wivre, meaning serpent or dragon, from the Latin vipera. It is sometimes also known as the viperfish, although it is not related to the viperfish proper (i.e., the stomiids of the genus Chauliodus). In Australia, sand perches of the family Mugilidae are also known as weevers. In Portugal, the weever is known as peixe-aranha, which translates to 'spider-fish', and in Catalan as aranya, which is identical to the word for 'spider'. Species The 9 extant species in two genera are: Genus Echiichthys Lesser weever, E. vipera (Cuvier, 1829) Genus Trachinus Spotted weever, T. araneus Cuvier, 1829 Guinean weever, T. armatus Bleeker, 1861 Sailfin weever, T. collignoni Roux, 1957 Trachinus cornutus Guichenot, 1848. Greater weever, T. draco Linnaeus, 1758 Striped weever, T. lineolatus Fischer, 1885 Cape Verde weever, T. pellegrini Cadenat, 1937 Starry weever, T. radiatus Cuvier, 1829 Genus Callipterys Agassiz 1835 † Monte Bolca weever, C. speciosus, from the Lutetian Timeline Interaction with humans Stings: causes, frequency and prevention Most human stings are inflicted by the lesser weever, which habitually remains buried in sandy areas of shallow water and is thus more likely to come into contact with bathers than other species (such as the greater weever, which prefers deeper water); stings from other species are generally limited to anglers and commercial fishermen. Even very shallow water (sometimes little more than damp sand) may harbour lesser weevers. The vast