Pseudochrominae is a subfamily 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 h ...

es, one of four subfamilies that make up 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 ...

Pseudochromidae, the species within the subfamily are commonly called dottybacks. They are small reef-associated marine fish which have an Indo-Pacific distribution.

Characteristics

In the Pseudochrominae the pelvic fin has a single spine and five rays which are branched, the head is covered in scales, there are teeth on the palatine bone and there are 16-20 rays in the

pectoral 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 ...

. The lateral line is divided into two, with a longer part running from the head to the posterior part of 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 c ...

and located just below the dorsal fin and the other, shorter part on the rear of the flanks. They grow to a maximum length of .

Distribution

The subfamily Pseudochrominae has a widespread distribution in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, mainly in tropical areas. Their distribution extends from the eastern coast of Africa, east across the Indo-Pacific region to

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

. The southern limits of the distribution is

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

in South Africa and the

Elizabeth Reef Elizabeth Reef, located at is a coral reef in the Coral Sea. The reef is separated by a deep oceanic pass, some 47 km wide, from nearby Middleton Reef, both of which are part of the underwater plateau known as the Lord Howe Rise. It ...

in the northern

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...

off Australia and north as far as southern Japan.

Biology

The species in the Pseudochrominae are mainly associated with reefs, with several species which are found among branching corals and some other species live within large

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

s, dottybacks are found from the intertidal shallows down to depths of . A few pseudochromines are

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

but most are fiercely

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

, defending small areas as home ranges and usually live solitarily, as pairs or very small groups of a male and a few females. They are normally predators of small invertebrates such as

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...

s, small bivalves and gastropods,

polychaete Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made ...

s and some small fish. There appear to be little variety in the types of prey taken by different species other than larger species prey on larger prey items. Many species are

hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have s ...

, some may be simultaneously hermaphroditic while other species are

protogynous hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

s or protandrous hermaphrodites and they adopt the colouring and pattern of the different sex as they transform. Many species produce a "fluffy", round egg mass which the male often guards in a small cave or burrow, the mass is formed by the interlinking of the filaments which cover the half of the surface of each egg which is opposite the micropyle, these filaments are attached to the surface of the egg by a small loaf-like structure. These loaf structures are diagnostic of the pseudochromines. The males guard the eggs until they hatch, which varies from 3–7 days after hatching the pelagic larvae disperse.

Genera

The following genera are classifies within the subfamily Pseudochrominae: * '' Assiculoides'' A.C.Gill & Hutchins 1997 * '' Assiculus'' Richardson, 1846 * '' Cypho''

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People * Abram F. Myers (born 1889), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and board ch ...

, 1940 * '' Labracinus''

Schlegel Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), former American football linebacker * August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, older brother of Friedrich * Brad Schlege ...

, 1858 * '' Manonichthys'' A.C.Gill, 2004 * '' Ogilbyina'' Fowler, 1931 * '' Oxycercichthys'' A.C.Gill, 2004 * '' Pholidochromis'' A.C.Gill, 2004 * '' Pictichromis'' A.C.Gill, 2004 * '' Pseudochromis'' Rüppell, 1835

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q16867749 Pseudochromidae Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller Taxa named by Franz Hermann Troschel Fish subfamilies