Scatophagidae

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It has been suggested that Scatophagus argus be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Scats

(Scatophagus argus)

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Scatophagidae

Genera

Scatophagus
Selenotoca
See text for species.

The scats are a small family, Scatophagidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes.

They are small fishes native to the Indian and western Pacific Ocean that have been popular in the aquarium trade in the last 30 years. Although juvenile scats may live in a freshwater environment, most adult scats prefer and do best in a brackish water environment with 3-4 teaspoons of salt per 2.5 gallons of water once they reach adulthood. However, the African Scat, Scatophagus tetracanthus, can and does live in freshwater in the wild and is even known to reproduce in freshwater.^{[dubious – discuss]} The largest species reaches 38 cm in length and some have been known to live more than twenty years in captivity given the proper water conditions. They are scavengers, feeding on algae and feces, hence their name, from Greek skatos meaning "feces" and phagein meaning "eat". Ideal tank mates include: Puffers, Monos, Archers, and other Brackish water fish.

[edit] Species

There are four species in two genera.

Genus Scatophagus Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1831
- Ruby or Green Scat, Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766).
- African Scat, Scatophagus tetracanthus (Lacépède, 1802).
Genus Selenotoca Myers, 1936
- Silver scat, Selenotoca multifasciata (Richardson, 1846).
- Selenotoca papuensis Fraser-Brunner, 1938.