Flagtail

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Flagtails
Hawaiian flagtail, Kuhlia sandvicensis
Hawaiian flagtail, Kuhlia sandvicensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Kuhliidae
Genus: Kuhlia
Gill, 1861
Species

13 species: see text.

The flagtails or aholeholes are a family (Kuhliidae) of perciform fish of the Indo-Pacific area. The family consists of thirteen species in one genus, Kuhlia, of which, one, (K. rupestris), is freshwater. The others are marine.

The distinctive characteristic of these fish is a scaly sheath around the dorsal and anal fins. The dorsal fin is deeply notched between the 10 spines and the 9-13 soft rays. The opercle has two spines, and the anal fin three. Their bodies are compressed and silvery, and they tend to be small, growing to 50 cm at most.

During the day they usually school, dispersing at night to feed on free-swimming crustaceans.

[edit] Species

  • Kuhlia caudavittata (Lacépède, 1802).
  • Kuhlia malo (Valenciennes, 1831).
  • Dark-margined flagtail, Kuhlia marginata (Cuvier, 1829).
  • Barred flagtail, Kuhlia mugil (Forster, 1801).
  • Silver flagtail, Kuhlia munda (De Vis, 1884).
  • Kuhlia nutabunda Kendall & Radcliffe, 1912.
  • Kuhlia petiti Schultz, 1943.
  • Kuhlia rubens (Spinola, 1807).
  • Rock flagtail, Kuhlia rupestris (Lacépède, 1802).
  • Kuhlia salelea Schultz, 1943.
  • Reticulated flagtail, Kuhlia sandvicensis (Steindachner, 1876).
  • Hawaiian flagtail, Kuhlia xenura (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882).

[edit] References

  • "Kuhliidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
  • "Kuhlia". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.