Pearlfish

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Pearlfish
Echiodon rendahli
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Ophidiiformes Family: Carapidae
Genera
Carapus Echiodon Eurypleuron Encheliophis Onuxodon Pyramodon Snyderidia For species see text

Pearlfish is a general name for a variety of marine fish species in the Carapidae family. Pearlfish have been found in tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans at depths up to 2 km (1.25 mi) along oceanic shelves and slopes. They are distinguished by having dorsal fin rays that are shorter than their anal fin rays. They have translucent, scaleless bodies reminiscent of eels. Pearlfish reproduce by laying eggs that are oval shaped, about 1 mm (1/32 inch) in length.

A few species of freshwater killifish in the New World Rivulines family Aplocheilidae also share the name pearlfish, but are not related.

Pearlfish are currently divided into 7 genera and 31 species. The genera are divided into three major groupings based on their level of symbiosis:

• Echiodon and Snyderidia - Free-living
• Carapus and Onuxodon - Commensal
• Encheliophis - Parasitic: Fish in this group live in invertebrate hosts found in shallow-water coral communities such as bivalves, sea cucumbers, and starfish.

[edit] Species

• Genus Carapus
  • Carapus acus
  • Carapus bermudensis
  • Carapus boraborensis
  • Carapus dubius
  • Carapus mourlani
  • Carapus sluiteri
• Genus Echiodon
  • Echiodon anchipterus
  • Echiodon atopus
  • Echiodon coheni
  • Echiodon cryomargarites
  • Echiodon dawsoni
  • Echiodon dentatus
  • Echiodon drummondii
  • Echiodon exsilium
  • Echiodon neotes
  • Echiodon pegasus
  • Echiodon pukaki
  • Echiodon rendahli (Whitley, 1941)
• Genus Encheliophis
  • Encheliophis chardewalli
  • Encheliophis gracilis
  • Encheliophis homei
  • Encheliophis sagamianus
  • Encheliophis vermicularis
  • Encheliophis vermiops
• Genus Eurypleuron
  • Eurypleuron cinereum
  • Eurypleuron owasianum
• Genus Onuxodon
  • Onuxodon fowleri
  • Onuxodon margaritiferae
  • Onuxodon parvibrachium
• Genus Pyramodon
  • Pyramodon lindas
  • Pyramodon parini
  • Pyramodon punctatus
  • Pyramodon ventralis Smith & Radcliffe, 1913
• Genus Snyderidia
  • Snyderidia canina

[edit] References

• "Carapidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
• Carapidae (TSN 165094). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on June 23, 2005.