Belonoperca

Belonoperca is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and included in the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Belonoperca
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinephelinae
Tribe: Diploprionini
Genus: Belonoperca
Fowler & B.A. Bean, 1930
Type species
Belonoperca chabanaudi
Fowler & B.A. Bean, 1930
Species

see text

Characteristics

The species within Belonoperca are elongated, predatory fish[1] that produce the toxin grammistin in the mucus on their skin.[2] The two species in the genus have 9 spines in their dorsal fin, although B, chabanaudi may have 10, and both have 10 dorsal fin rays. Other members of the tribe Diploprionini have more dorsal fin rays than the species of Belonoperca. They also differ from related fishes in the arrangement of the spines and rays in the anal fin.[3]

Species

There are only two species within the genus Belonoperca:[4]

  • Belonoperca chabanaudi Fowler & B.A. Bean, 1930 (Arrowhead soapfish)
  • Belonoperca pylei Baldwin & Smith, 1998 (Orangespotted soapfish)

Utilisation

The soapfishes in the genus Belonoperca are sometimes found in the aquarium trade.[1]

References
  1. Lemon Tyk (14 May 2012). "Belonoperca soapfishes are striking predators that prefer cool and dimly lit setups". Reefbuilders.
  2. Bray, D.J. (2018). "Belonoperca chabanaudi". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. Carole C. Baldwin & W. Leo Smith (1998). "Belonoperca pylei, a new species of seabass (Teleostei: Serranidae: Epinephelinae: Diploprionini) from the Cook Islands with comments on relationships among diploprionins". Ichthyological Research. 45 (4): 325–339. doi:10.1007/BF02725185. S2CID 7029170.
  4. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). Species of Belonoperca in FishBase. December 2019 version.
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