Caracanthus

Caracanthus, the coral crouchers, or orbicular velvetfishes, are a genus of scorpaeniform fishes. They live in coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific. This genus is the only member of the family Caracanthidae.

Coral Crouchers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Scorpaeniformes
Family:
Caracanthidae
Genus:
Caracanthus

Krøyer, 1845

Like their close relatives the velvetfishes, they have compressed bodies and a velvety skin. They have small pectoral fins, which they use to wedge themselves into crevices in the coral, and greatly reduced pelvic fins.[1]

Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[2]

  • Caracanthus maculatus (J. E. Gray, 1831) (Spotted coral croucher)
  • Caracanthus madagascariensis (Guichenot, 1869) (Spotted croucher)
  • Caracanthus typicus Krøyer, 1845 (Hawaiian orbicular velvetfish)
  • Caracanthus unipinna (J. E. Gray, 1831) (Pygmy coral croucher)
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References
  1. Eschmeyer, William N. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Caracanthus in FishBase. December 2012 version.


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