| Marblefish or Aplodactylus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aplodactylus punctatus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Centrarchiformes |
| Suborder: | Cirrhitoidei |
| Family: | Aplodactylidae Günther, 1859[1] |
| Genus: | Aplodactylus Valenciennes, 1832 |
| Type species | |
| Aplodactylus punctatus Valenciennes, 1832 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Aplodactylus is agenus of marineray-finned fishes, commonly known as marblefishes or sea carps. It is the only genus in themonogenericfamily,Aplodactylidae. The fishes in this genus are found in the south eastern Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean.
Aplodactylus was described in 1832 by theFrenchzoologistAchille Valenciennes withAplodactylus punctatus, which Valenciennesdescribed from thetype specimen collected fromValparaiso in Chile, as its only species, being thetype species bymonotypy.[2][3] The family had previously contained two genera with themonospecificCrinodon being recognised as asynonym ofAplodactylus byBarry C. Russell in 2000.[4] The family, Aplodactylidae was created as Haplodactylidae by the German born BritishichthyologistAlbert Günther in 1859, the Dutch ichthyologistPieter Bleeker corrected that to its current name later the same year.[1] The family is regarded as part of thesuperfamilyCirrhitoidea, which is placed within theorderPerciformes in the 5th Edition ofFishes of the World,[5] however other authorities place this clade within a new order within the widerPercomorpha,Centrarchiformes.[6] The genus name is a compound ofaploe meaning "single" or "simple" anddaktylos meaning "finger", a reference to the unbranched lower pectoral fin rays of the type species.[7]
The five currently recognized species in this genus are:[8]
Aplodactylus species are characterised by a relatively long, deep and compressed body ending in a small, blunt head. They have a small mouth, which is placed just below the short snout, with a thick upper lip.[9] They have a longdorsal fin with a deep incision between the spiny and soft rayed portions. Theanal fin is short based and triangular in shape while thepectoral fins are large and have a rounded shape,[10] and their lower fin rays are not joined by membranes and are robust. Thepelvic fins are located quite far to the rear of the base of the pectoral fins.[9] They have small scales which are embedded in their skin and which extend onto the cheeks, as well as forming a scaly sheath at the base of the dorsal fin.[10] The dorsal fins have 14-23 spines and 16-21 soft rays while the anal fin has 6-8 soft rays. They havevomerine teeth and the teeth in the jaws vary in shape and can be incisor-like, sharply pointed ortricuspid.[6] They vary in size from atotal length of 34.7 cm (13.7 in) in theWestern seacarp to 65 cm (26 in) in themarblefish.[8]
Aplodactylus is found in the south eastern Indian Ocean off Western Australia and in the southern Pacific Ocean off Australia, New Zealand and eastern South America.[5] These are fishes of shallow inshore waters, typically on rocky coastlines.[8]
Apolidactylus fishes are herbivorous and feed on algae. The species may be sociable and from aggregations[11] or they can be solitary and territorial.[12]
Non-endemic fish of New Zealand | ||
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| Non-endemic marine fish in NZ |
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