Plesiops

Plesiops
Plesiops nigricans
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Family: Plesiopidae
Subfamily: Plesiopinae
Genus: Plesiops
Oken, 1817
Type species
Pharopteryx nigricans
Synonyms
  • Pharopteryx Rüppell, 1828
  • Pseudochromichthys Schmidt, 1931

Plesiops is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Plesiopidae. It is a genus of small fishes which vary in length from 5 centimetres (2.0 in) and 20 centimetres (7.9 in) and which live in shallow coral flats or around heads of coral. They have elongated pelvic fins and the other fins are marked with colourful patterns such as stripes and these give name to the common names "longfin" and "prettyfin". They are thought to be nocturnal and are infrequently seen in the wild. They are carnivorous and their diet is made up of crustaceans, gastropods and small fishes and sometimes on brittle stars. A defining characteristic of this genus is that they lay elongated eggs which are laid under rocks or overhangs and are guarded by the male.[2]

Species

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The following species are currently recognised within the genus Plesiops:[3]

References

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  1. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Plesiops". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  2. ^ Randall D. Mooi (1995). "Revision and Phylogeny of the Plesiopid Fish Genus Plesiops". Life Sciences Contributions. 159. Royal Ontario Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  3. ^ Bailly N, ed. (2014). "Plesiops Oken, 1817". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
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