Kuhlia xenura
Kuhlia xenura | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Kuhliidae |
Genus: | Kuhlia |
Species: | K. xenura
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Binomial name | |
Kuhlia xenura (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882)
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Synonyms[1] | |
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Kuhlia xenura, the strange-tailed flagtail or Hawaii flagtail, is a
Description
Kuhlia xenura has a slightly concave dorsal profile of the head in adults, with a large eye. The second spine in the
Distribution
Kuhlia xenura is endemic to Hawaii.[1]
Habitat and biology
Kuhlia xenura is frequently observed in schools and can be found in fresh water, brackish habitats, and shallow water along the seashore. While in fresh water they feed mainly on algae, insects, planktonic crustaceans, and foraminiferans, while fish in brackish or salt water eat
Taxonomy
The strange-tailed flagtail was previously confused with the Hawaiian flagtail until 2001. It was first described as Xenichthys xenurus on the basis of a specimen mistakenly thought to have come from San Salvador, El Salvador.[3] For over a century, the name Xenichthys xenurus was overlooked in the literature, and K. xenura was confused with K. sandvicensis by many authors.[4][5][6]
In 2001, the ichthyologist John Ernest Randall and his wife Helen Randall reviewed all nominal flagtail species from the Pacific Ocean. They found that two species had been lumped together under Kuhlia sandvicensis, one of which had been misidentified as the freshwater K. marginata by some authors (the true K. sandvicensis). They found that specimens of the common flagtail species from the Hawaiian Islands misidentified as K. sandvicensis matched the description of Xenichthys xenurus, and thus Kuhlia xenura became the correct name for one of the two flagtail species from Hawaii.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Kuhlia xenura" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
- ^ a b c John E. Randall & Helen A. Randall (2001). "Review of the Fishes of the Genus Kuhlia (Percifonnes: Kuhllidae) of the Central Pacific" (PDF). Pacific Science. 55 (3): 227–256.
- ^ Jordan, D. S. and C. H. Gilbert 1882. Description of a new species of Xenichthys (Xenichthys xenurus) from the west coast of Central America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum v. 4 (no. 252): 454.
- ^ Gosline, W.A. and V.E. Brock, 1960. Handbook of Hawaiian fishes. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 372 p. + 277 figs.
- ^ Randall, J.E., 1985. Guide to Hawaiian reef fishes. Harrowood Books, Newtown Square, PA 19073, USA. 74 p.
- ^ Randall, J.E., 1996. Shore fishes of Hawai'i. Natural World Press, Vida, Oregon. 216 p.