Caracanthus
| Coral Crouchers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Caracanthidae |
| Genus: | Caracanthus Krøyer, 1845 |
Caracanthus, the coral crouchers, or orbicular velvetfishes, are a genus of scorpaeniform fishes. They live in coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific. This genus is the only member of the family Caracanthidae.
Like their close relatives the velvetfishes, they have compressed bodies and a velvety skin. They have small pectoral fins, which they use to wedge themselves into crevices in the coral, and greatly reduced pelvic fins.[1]
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[2]
- Caracanthus maculatus (J. E. Gray, 1831) (Spotted coral croucher)
- Caracanthus madagascariensis (Guichenot, 1869) (Spotted croucher)
- Caracanthus typicus Krøyer, 1845 (Hawaiian orbicular velvetfish)
- Caracanthus unipinna (J. E. Gray, 1831) (Pygmy coral croucher)
References
- ↑ Eschmeyer, William N. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Caracanthus in FishBase. December 2012 version.
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