Paracheilinus

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Paracheilinus
Carpenter's dwarf wrasse (Paracheilinus carpenteri), male

Carpenter's dwarf wrasse ( Paracheilinus carpenteri ), male

Systematics
Acanthomorphata
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Labriformes
Family : Wrasse (Labridae)
Genre : Paracheilinus
Scientific name
Paracheilinus
Fourmanoir , 1955

Paracheilinus is a genus of small wrasse from the coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific .

features

Paracheilinus species are very colorful. There is an extremely strong sexual dimorphism , i. i.e., males and females are colored differently. The coloration is also very variable within a species and can be changed quickly during courtship or when showing off. Females and juveniles of closely related species are often colored very similarly. In contrast to the related genus Cirrhilabrus , the males of most Paracheilinus species have elongated fin filaments. Paracheilinus species are 4.1 to 15 centimeters long. Most species stay below ten centimeters. Their standard length is 2.8 to 4.1 times their body height. The genus was named after the wrasse genus Cheilinus , but is much more similar to the genus Cirrhilabrus , from which it only differs in the different fin formula for the dorsal fin (IX (VIII) / 11 vs. XI / 9) and the extended fin filaments in the males .

Way of life

Paracheilinus species mainly live in shallow water; fewer species occur below 40 to 50 meters. Recently, however, some have been discovered that live below 100 meters. The fish eat zooplankton and live in groups, often associated with other plankton-eating wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus and others) and anthias . In these groups, the females are always considerably outnumbered. Probably they form harem groups with a male. At night the animals hide in crevices or between the branches of Acropora corals.

species

literature

Web links

Commons : Paracheilinus  - collection of images, videos and audio files