''Parapriacanthus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of sweepers native to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

and the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. ''Parapriacanthus'' are bioluminescent, with ventral light organs for

counter-illumination Counter-illumination is a method of active camouflage seen in marine animals such as firefly squid and midshipman fish, and in military prototypes, producing light to match their backgrounds in both brightness and wavelength. Marine animals of ...

. ''Parapriacanthus'' luciferase is a kleptoprotein, obtained from their diet on bioluminescent ostracods.

Species

There are currently 11 recognized species in this genus: * '' Parapriacanthus argenteus'' ( von Bonde, 1923) * '' Parapriacanthus darros'' J. E. Randall & Bogorodsky, 2016 * '' Parapriacanthus dispar'' ( Herre, 1935) (Deep bullseye) * '' Parapriacanthus elongatus'' (

McCulloch McCulloch is a Scottish surname. It's a variation of the Northern Irish surname McCullough. It's commonly found in Galloway. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan McCulloch (politician), New Zealand politician *Alan McLeod McCulloch ( ...

, 1911) (Slender bullseye) * '' Parapriacanthus guentheri'' ( Klunzinger, 1871) * '' Parapriacanthus kwazulu'' J. E. Randall & Bogorodsky, 2016 * '' Parapriacanthus marei'' Fourmanoir, 1971 (Red-fin sweeper) * '' Parapriacanthus punctulatus'' J. E. Randall & Bogorodsky, 2016 * '' Parapriacanthus rahah'' J. E. Randall & Bogorodsky, 2016 * '' Parapriacanthus ransonneti''

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1870 (Pygmy sweeper) * '' Parapriacanthus sharm'' J. E. Randall & Bogorodsky, 2016

References

Pempheridae Taxa named by Franz Steindachner Marine fish genera Bioluminescent fish {{Perciformes-stub