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]

References

  1. 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.
  2. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Caracanthus in FishBase. December 2012 version.
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