Mongoose

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Mongoose
Striped coral guardian (Paracirrhites forsteri)

Striped coral guardian ( Paracirrhites forsteri )

Systematics
Acanthomorphata
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Sunfish-like (Centrarchiformes)
Subordination : Munchbacks (Cirrhitioidei)
Family : Mongoose
Scientific name
Cirrhitidae
Bleeker , 1859

The family of the tufted perch (Cirrhitidae), also known as the coral guardian, belongs to the subordination of the tufted perch-like and includes about 35 species in 10 genera , which are usually 10 centimeters long. Some species are also up to 20 centimeters long , Cirrhitus rivulatus from the Eastern Pacific up to 60 centimeters long. With the exception of two species from the Atlantic , all mongoose from the Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea and the Gulf of California occur, always in pronounced coral reefs .

Appearance

Most tufted perches, such as the monocle coral guardian ( Paracirrhites arcatus ), have a typical perch shape, with a stocky body, a beefy head with a large mouth and clearly visible hard fin rays. One exception is the long- snouted coral guardian ( Oxycirrhites typus ), which, adapted to life in gorgonians , has a very slender shape.

The colors of the individual species, but also within a species, can vary greatly. Some species have tuft-like projections on the spines of the dorsal fin, which have led to the name tufted perch .

behavior

The name coral guardian comes from the fact that the animals are often found lying on corals , where they hook into depressions of the coral with individual rays of the pectoral fins , if necessary . They feed on crustaceans , small fish and plankton as stalkers . Mound perch live territorially in the harem with two to seven females, the largest being the male. They are protogynous follow-up hermaphrodites, so they are female in their youth and can transform themselves into males if the order in the harem group requires it, i.e. H. when the old man dies.

The animals spawn at dusk, with both partners quickly swimming to the surface of the water and ejecting eggs and sperm there. The larvae live pelagically for several weeks .

Mollusks are sometimes kept in saltwater aquariums.

Genera and species

Cirrhitichthys aprinus
Falks coral guardian ( Cirrhitichthys falco )
Cirrhitus rivulatus
Long- snouted coral guardian ( Oxycirrhites typus )
Fire coral guardian ( Neocirrhites armatus )

literature

Web links

Commons : Munchbacks (Cirrhitidae)  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files