# Caracanthus
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{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Caracanthus madagascariensis.jpg
| image_caption = Spotted croucher (''Caracanthus madagascariensis'')
| parent_authority = [T. N. Gill](/source/Theodore_Nicholas_Gill), 1885[{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp | year = 2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268078514 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue = 2 | pages = 001–230 | doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}]
| taxon = Caracanthus
| authority = [Krøyer](/source/Henrik_Nikolai_Kr%C3%B8yer), 1845
| type_species = Caracanthus typicus
| type_species_authority = Krøyer, 1845[{{Cof family|family=Scorpaenidae|access-date=22 February 2022}}]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
}}
'''''Caracanthus''''', the '''coral crouchers''', or '''orbicular velvetfishes''', are a [genus](/source/genus) of [ray-finned fish](/source/ray-finned_fish)es. They live in coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific. This genus is the only member of the [monotypic](/source/Monotypic_taxon) [subfamily](/source/subfamily) '''Caracanthinae''', part of the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Scorpaenidae](/source/Scorpaenidae).
==Taxonomy==
''Caracanthus'' was first formally described as a [monotypic](/source/Monotypic_taxon) genus in 1845 by the Danish [zoologist](/source/zoologist) [Henrik Nikolai Krøyer](/source/Henrik_Nikolai_Kr%C3%B8yer) when he [described](/source/Species_description) the new species
the Hawaiian orbicular velvetfish (''[Caracanthus typicus](/source/Caracanthus_typicus)'').[ The genus is the only genus in the monotypic subfamily Caracanthinae within the family Scorpaenidae. Molecular studies have found that the Caracanthinae should probably be treated as a tribe within the subfamily [Scorpaeninae](/source/Scorpaeninae), or possibly included in the [tribe](/source/Tribe_(biology)) [Scorpaenini](/source/Scorpaenini).][{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=468–475 |publisher=Wiley |ISBN=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }}] The genus name is a compound of ''cara'', meaning "head" and ''acanthus'', meaning "thorn" or "spine", an allusion to the strong spines on the infraorbital bone of ''C. typicus''.[{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/perciformes9/ | title = Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1= Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp |date = 2 October 2021 | access-date = 13 March 2022 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}]
==Characteristics==
''Caracanthus'' fishes have an oval, laterally compressed body which is covered in small, rough [papillae](/source/Dermal_papillae) with a small, terminal mouth. There is a single notch in the dorsal fin which has its origin on the nape and which contains between 6 and 8 spines and 11 and 14 soft rays. The [anal fin](/source/anal_fin) has 2 spines and between 11 and 14 soft rays. There are 12 to 14 rays in the [pectoral fin](/source/pectoral_fin)s but the pelvic fins are small and barely noticeable, they have a single spine and 2 or 3 small soft rays. There are tiny scales on the head, each bearing a single spine.[ Like the related [velvetfish](/source/velvetfish)es, they have a velvety skin. The small [pectoral fin](/source/pectoral_fin)s are used to wedge themselves into crevices in the coral.][{{cite book |editor1=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N. |author= Eschmeyer, William N.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 176|isbn= 0-12-547665-5}}] These small fishes vary in size from a maximum [standard length](/source/standard_length) of {{cvt|2.9|cm}} in ''C. typicus'' to a maximum [total length](/source/total_length) of {{cvt|5|cm}} for the other 3 species.[{{FishBase genus|genus=Caracanthus|month=February|year=2022}}]
== Species ==
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[
* ''[Caracanthus maculatus](/source/Caracanthus_maculatus)'' ([J. E. Gray](/source/John_Edward_Gray), 1831) (Spotted coral croucher)
* ''[Caracanthus madagascariensis](/source/Caracanthus_madagascariensis)'' ([Guichenot](/source/Alphone_Guichenot), 1869) (Spotted croucher)
* ''[Caracanthus typicus](/source/Caracanthus_typicus)'' [Krøyer](/source/Henrik_Nikolai_Kr%C3%B8yer), 1845 (Hawaiian orbicular velvetfish)
* ''[Caracanthus unipinna](/source/Caracanthus_unipinna)'' ([J. E. Gray](/source/John_Edward_Gray), 1831) (Pygmy coral croucher)
==Distribution and habitat==
''Caracanthus'' fishes are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans where they are closely associated with coral, living among the coral branches.][
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1592961}}
Category:Caracanthinae
Category:Marine fish genera
Category:Taxa named by Henrik Nikolai Krøyer
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Caracanthus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracanthus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracanthus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
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