Flagtail

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Kuhlia sandvicensis.jpg

| image_caption = Hawaiian flagtail (K. sandvicensis)

| parent_authority = D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1896{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue =2 | pages = 001–230}}

| taxon = Kuhlia

| authority = T. N. Gill, 1861{{Cof record|genid=2781|title =Kuhlia|access-date=11 April 2020}}

| type_species = Perca ciliate

| type_species_authority = G. Cuvier, 1828

| synonyms = * Boulengerina Fowler, 1907

Herops De Vis, 1884
Moronopsis T. N. Gill, 1863
Paradules Bleeker, 1863
Platysome E. Liénard, 1832
Safole D. S. Jordan, 1912

| synonyms_ref = {{Cof family|family=Kuhliidae|access-date=11 April 2020}}

}}

The flagtails ({{lang|haw|āhole}}{{cite web |url= http://wehewehe.org/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q&a=q&l=en&q=ahole |title= lookup of āhole |work= on Hawaiian dictionary |author= Mary Kawena Pukui and Elbert |year= 2003 |publisher= Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, University of Hawaii |access-date= July 9, 2010 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20121228064852/http://wehewehe.org/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q&a=q&l=en&q=ahole |archive-date= December 28, 2012 |url-status= dead }} or {{lang|haw|āholehole}}{{cite web |url= http://wehewehe.org/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q&a=q&l=en&q=aholehole |title= lookup of āholehole |work= on Hawaiian dictionary |author= Mary Kawena Pukui and Elbert |year= 2003 |publisher= Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, University of Hawaii |access-date= July 9, 2010 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20121228121012/http://wehewehe.org/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q&a=q&l=en&q=aholehole |archive-date= December 28, 2012 |url-status= dead }} in the Hawaiian language) are a family (Kuhliidae) of centrarchiform ray-finned fish of the Indo-Pacific area. The family consists of about 12 species in one genus, Kuhlia. Most are euryhaline and often found in brackish water, but the genus also includes species restricted to marine or fresh water.

Several species are known as Hawaiian flagtails, particularly K. sandvicensis and K. xenura.

Etymology

The genus Kuhlia is named for the German zoologist Heinrich Kuhl (1797–1821).{{FishBase|Kuhlia|rupestris|month=December|year=2019}}

Description

The distinctive characteristic of these fish is a scaly sheath around the dorsal and anal fins. The dorsal fin is deeply notched between the 10 spines and the 9 to 13 soft rays. The opercle has two spines, and the anal fin three. Their bodies are compressed and silvery, and they tend to be small, growing to 50 cm at most.

During the day, they usually school, dispersing at night to feed on free-swimming fish and crustaceans.

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:{{FishBase genus | genus = Kuhlia| month = August | year = 2013}}

Kuhlia caudavittata (Lacépède, 1802)File:Kuhlia caudavittata, banc de juvéniles.JPG
Kuhlia malo (Valenciennes, 1831)
Kuhlia marginata (G. Cuvier, 1829) (spotted or dark-margined flagtail)
Kuhlia mugil (J. R. Forster, 1801) (barred flagtail)
Kuhlia munda (De Vis, 1884) (silver flagtail)
Kuhlia nutabunda Kendall & Radcliffe, 1912 (Rapanui flagtail)
Kuhlia petiti L. P. Schultz, 1943
Kuhlia rupestris (Lacépède, 1802) (rock flagtail, jungle perch)
Kuhlia salelea L. P. Schultz, 1943
Kuhlia sandvicensis (Steindachner, 1876) (Hawaiian flagtail)
Kuhlia sauvagii Regan, 1913
Kuhlia xenura (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882)Randall, J.E. and H.A. Randall, 2001. Review of the fishes of the genus Kuhlia (Perciformes: Kuhliidae) of the Central Pacific. Pac. Sci. 55(3):227-256.

References

Category:Extant Eocene first appearances