Subfamily Caracanthinae

Caracanthidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

Introduction

Shinohara & Imamura (2005) placed the group within the family Scorpaenidae based on an analysis of osteological and myological characters — a classification followed by Eschmeyer & Fong (2014). Previously, authors including Paxton et al. (1989), Poss (1999) and Hoese & Gates (2006) had placed the group within the family Caracanthidae.

The Caracanthinae comprise a single genus with four recognised species restricted to the Indo-Pacific region. Two species are found in Australian waters. Poss (1999) provided a key to three of the species. Australian species are treated in Randall et al. 1997.

Coral velvetfishes are small, ranging in size from 3–7 cm as adults, and live on branching corals, using their head spines to wedge themselves among the coral. They have venomous fin spines (Smith & Wheeler 2006) and are capable of changing sex (Cole & Montgomery 2003; Wong et al. 2005).

General References

Cole, K.S. & Montgomery, W.L. 2003. Hermaphroditic characteristics of gonad morphology and inferences regarding reproductive biology in Caracanthus (Teleostei, Scorpaeniformes). Copeia 2003(1): 68-80

Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fong, J.D. 2014. Species of Fishes by family/subfamily. Catalog of Fishes. Online version updated 19 May 2014. http://research.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp

Hoese, D.F. & Gates, J.E. 2006. Caracanthidae. pp. 919-920 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp.

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. [458]

Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2353]

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Shinohara, G. & Imamura, H. 2005. Anatomical description and phylogenetic classification of the orbicular velvetfishes (Scorpaenoidea: Caracanthus). Ichthyological Research 52(1): 64-76

Smith, W.L. & Wheeler, W.C. 2006. Venom evolution widespread in fishes: a phylogenetic rode map for the bioprospecting of piscine venoms. Journal of Heredity 97(3): 206-217

Wong, M.Y.L, Munday, P.L & Jones, G.P. 2005. Habitat patch size, facultative monogamy and sex change in a coral-dwelling fish,Caracanthus unipinna. Environmental Biology of Fishes 74(2): 141-150

Common Name References

Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2353] (alternate FAO) (Coral Crouchers, Orbicular Velvetfishes)

History of changes