Microcanthinae

The Microcanthinae, commonly known as footballers, mados, stripeys, and moonlighters, are a subfamily of the sea chubs, a family of marine ray-finned fish in the order Perciformes.

Microcanthinae
The mado, Atypichthys latus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Kyphosidae
Subfamily: Microcanthinae
Bleeker, 1876[1]
Genera

see text

Characteristics

The Microcathinae is a subfamily of moderately sized fishes, most of which grow no longer than 25 centimetres (9.8 in). They have an oval body. They have a small terminal mouth which does not extend as far as the front of the eye. They have small teeth which are set close together and have pointed tips, and are set out either in a broad band or a single row. There is one dorsal fin which has 11 or 12 spines and 16-18 soft rays while the anal fin has three spines and 16-19 soft rays.The pelvic fins start just behind the end of the base of the pectoral fin. Their caudal fins vary from emarginate through to forked. They have small ctenoid scales which reach onto the cheeks and upper part of gill covers, and form scaly sheaths at the bases of the dorsal and anal fins, with scales extending on to the soft-rayed parts of those fins. They have a continuous lateral line which is evenly curved. They are normally yellowish or whitish in colour, marked with dark brown or blackish almost horizontal or oblique stripes.[2]

Habitat, biology and range

The species of the Microcanthinae are found off shallow coastal areas and in rocky estuarine, mainly over hard substrates. They occur from the intertidal zone down as deep to 30 metres (98 ft) where they have a diet comprising small invertebrates and algae. They prefer subtropical and warm temperate seas.[2] They occur in the southeasst Indian Ocean and the southwestern Pacific Ocean off Australia and New Zealand.[3]

Fisheries

Microcanthines are of little interest to fisheries although they are of interest to the aquarium trade.[2]

Taxonomy

Microacanthinae is treated as a subfamily in the 5th edition of Fishes of the World,[4] but other authorities treat it as a family, the Microacanthidae.[5][3]

Classification

The following genera are classified in the subfamily Microcanthinae:[3][4]

References
  1. Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 001–230.
  2. Carpenter, K. (2001). "Girellidae, Scorpididae, Microcanthidae". In K. Carpenter; V. H. Niem (eds.). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific (PDF). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. 5. FAO, Rome. pp. 2791–3379.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Micranthidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  4. J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 440–441. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
  5. "Stripeys, MICROCANTHIDAE". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.