''Kuhlia sandvicensis'', the reticulated flagtail, zebra-headed flagtail or Hawaiian flagtail, is a species of

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 hor ...

, a

flagtail The flagtails (' or ' in the Hawaiian language) are a family (Kuhliidae) of perciform fish of the Indo-Pacific area. The family consists of several species in one genus, ''Kuhlia''. Most are euryhaline and often found in brackish water, but th ...

from the

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

Kuhliidae The flagtails (' or ' in the Hawaiian language) are a family (Kuhliidae) of perciform fish of the Indo-Pacific area. The family consists of several species in one genus, ''Kuhlia''. Most are euryhaline and often found in brackish water, but th ...

which is found in the central Pacific Ocean. It is popular as a

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

and can also be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

Description

''Kuhlia sandvicensis'' has a relatively small eye with a near straight dorsal profile of the head and a strongly forked

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

In the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

the third spine is slightly longer than the second. They are silvery in colour with a silver and black reticulated pattern on the top of the head and the margin of the

is blackish. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

has 10 spines and 11-12 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 11-12 soft rays. This species has attained a total length of .

Distribution

''Kuhlia sandvicensis'' is found in the Pacific Ocean around

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...

Tuamotu The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extendin ...

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

, Rapa,

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

and

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

Habitat and biology

''Kuhlia sandvicensis'' is common in Hawaii where the young are quite numerous along rocky shores, in tide pools, and in and around the mouths of streams which are connected to the sea. The juveniles are often observed under wharves, in more sizeable tide pools, as well as in both brackish and freshwater ponds, and streams. The adults occur in caves in wave-swept coral reefs, in the surf zone at the base of cliffs and in wrecks. They will infrequently form as schools in more open water. Although this species is found in both marine and freshwater habitats they do not require any time in freshwater to complete their life cycle. Abstract They feed on fishes, aquatic invertebrates and insects.

Taxonomy

''Kuhlia sandvicensis'' was thought to be

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Hawaii and to be the only species of flagtail present there, but in the 1990a ichthyologists independently noted two species which were separated morphologically and genetically. One had a black and white "zebra pattern" on its head while the other had a plain head. The plain headed species was identified as the previously forgotten '' Kuhlia_xenura'', the type of which had been erroneously labelled as being from

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. They also found the zebra-headed flagtail to be widespread in the Pacific and that the plain headed one was the endemic Hawaiian species.

In Hawaiian culture

, the common name is ''āhole'' for the mature fish and ''āholehole'' for the juvenile. The name is probably derived from the word ''hole'' in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

which means "to strip away", since the fish was used to "strip away" evil spirits and as an

aphrodisiac An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. Substances range from a variety of plants, spices, foods, and synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs like cannabis or cocain ...

. A proverb was, "''He āhole ka ia, hole ke aloha''", meaning roughly "āhole is the fish, but love is restless". It was also sometimes known as ''puaa kai'', literally "pig of the sea". European visitors were sometimes called ''āhole'' due to their pale skin.Pukui, M. K. and S. H. Elbert. ''Hawaiian Dictionary''. 1986. pg. 8. Aholehole is an important food fish in the Hawaiian Islands and they were frequently featured in traditional ceremonies by

Hawaiian people Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous ethnic group of Polynesians, Polynes ...

. The current location of

Kona International Airport Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole is the busiest airport on the Island of Hawaii. It is located in Kalaoa CDP, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, near the town of Kailua-Kona. The airport serves leeward (western) Hawai ...

Keāhole Point Keāhole Point is the westernmost point of the island of Hawaii. The Kona International Airport was moved here from directly north of the town of Kailua-Kona in 1970, when the previous smaller airstrip was converted into the Old Kona Airport Sta ...

, is named after this fish, because it was found in this area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhlia Sandvicensis Kuhlia Fish of Hawaii Taxa named by Franz Steindachner Fish described in 1876