Shrimpfish, also called razorfish, are five small species of
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
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* ...
fishes in the subfamily Centriscinae of the family
Centriscidae
The Centriscidae are a family of fishes from the order Syngnathiformes which includes the snipefishes, shrimpfishes, and bellowfishes. A small family, consisting of only about a dozen marine species, they are of an unusual appearance, as refle ...
. The species in the genera ''Aeoliscus'' and ''Centriscus'' are found in relatively shallow tropical parts of the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
, while the banded bellowsfish, which often is placed in the subfamily
Macroramphosinae instead, is restricted to deeper southern oceans.
Shrimpfish are nearly transparent and flattened from side to side with long snouts and sharp-edged bellies. A thin, dark stripe runs along their bodies. These stripes and their
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
-like appearance are the source of their name. They swim in a synchronized manner with their heads pointing downwards. Adult shrimpfish are up to long, including their snouts. The banded bellowsfish more closely resembles members of the subfamily Macroramphosinae (especially ''
Notopogon'') in both behaviour and body shape, and reaches a length of up to .
Species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q454991
Centriscidae