Dottyback

The dottybacks are a family, Pseudochromidae, of fishes which were formerly classified in the order Perciformes, but this has been revised and the family is regarded as of uncertain affinities, or incertae sedis within the Ovalentaria, a clade within the Percomorpha. Around 152 species belong to this family.[2]

Dottybacks
Splendid Dottyback
Manonichthys splendens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
(unranked): Ovalentaria
Family: Pseudochromidae
Müller & Troschel, 1849[1]
Subfamilies

Anisochrominae
Congrogadinae
Pseudochrominae
Pseudoplesiopinae

They are found in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, where most inhabit coral reefs. Many species are brightly coloured fish, often showing striking sexual dimorphism. They are generally small, mostly less than 10 cm (4 in) in length, and some less than 2 cm (0.8 in).[3] The largest by far, at up to 45 cm (1 ft 6 in), is Congrogadus subducens.[4][5] Dottybacks are distinguished from other families by the presence of three or less spines in the dorsal fin and an incomplete lateral line organ.[3]

Several of the brightly coloured members of the family are often seen in the marine aquarium trade, although some species are aggressively territorial.[6]

Genera

Family Pseudochromidae

Timeline
QuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleoceneHaliophisQuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleocene

References
  1. Bailly N, ed. (2015). "Pseudochromidae Müller & Troschel, 1849". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  2. J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 752. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
  3. Johnson, G.D.; Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 185. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  4. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Congrogadus subducens" in FishBase. November 2016 version.
  5. Lieske, E., and Myers, R. (1999). Coral Reef Fishes. 2nd edition. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00481-1
  6. Goemans, B. (November 2008). Dottybacks—Choose Carefully! TFH Magazine. Retrieved 12 November 2016.


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