''Genicanthus caudovittatus'', the zebra angelfish, swallowtail angelfish, and lyretail angelfish, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, a

marine angelfish Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be conf ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pomacanthidae Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be conf ...

. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

Description

''Genicanthus caudovittatus'' shows sexual dichromatism, the males and females have differing colouration. The males are whitish-blue marked with vertical dark brown barring and a black band running along the middle of the dorsal fin base. The females are pale pinkish grey with a black band over the eye and a black band on the upper and lower margins of the caudal fin. Both sexes have a markedly forked caudal fin. The dorsal fin contains 15 spines and 15–17 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17–19 soft rays. This species attains a maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of .

Distribution

''Genicanthus caudovittatus'' is distributed in western Indian Ocean where it occurs along the eastern coast of Africa from the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

in the north to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, east to Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, and Réunion. It has also been recorded from Weh Island off northwestern Sumatra.

Habitat and biology

''Genicanthus caudovittatus'' is found at depths between . In the Red Sea it can be found in shallower water than in the Andaman Sea. It can be found on steep outer reef slopes where it lives in small groups made up of a male and a few females. It feeds on

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...

. Juveniles live at greater depth than the adults.

Systematics

''Genicanthus caudovittatus'' was first formally described in 1860 as ''Holocanthus caudovittatus'' by the German-born British ichthyologist and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

Albert Günther (1830–1914) with the type locality given as Mauritius. The specific name is a compound of ''caudus'' meaning “tail” and ''vittatus'' meaning “banded”, referring to the black markings on the tail.

Utilisation

''Genicanthus caudovittatus'' occasionally appears in the aquarium trade.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2226061 caudovittatus Fish of the Red Sea Fish of Sri Lanka Marine fauna of East Africa Fauna of the Maldives Fauna of Seychelles Fauna of the Mascarene Islands Fish described in 1860 Taxa named by Albert Günther