Overview
The nurseryfishes or forehead brooders are a family (Kurtidae) of that are notable for carrying their egg clusters on hooks protruding from the forehead (supraoccipital) of the males. The family consists of just two species in the single genus Kurtus.1]
In addition to the egg hook, the kurtid gas bladder is enclosed in a tubular bony structure evolved from the ribs. In both species the back is elevated into a hump shape.
Despite their unusual reproductive habits, little is known about these species; they do not survive long in aquaria. Tim Berra of Ohio State University has published several papers.[2]
Species
The nurseryfish, Kurtus gulliveri Castelnau, 1878, occurs in mangrove swamps, estuaries and slow-moving turbid rivers of Australia and New Guinea. It can grow to 63 cm.
The Indian hump head, Kurtus indicus Bloch, 1786 is found in marine waters from India's Coromandel Coast to Borneo. It is known to reach only 12.6 cm in length.
Taxonomy
The Suborder Kurtoidei is a member of the Order Perciformes. Here is the complete "parentage" of Kurtoidei:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Deuterostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
- Infrakingdom: Chordonia
(Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum: Chordata
Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
- Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass: Osteichthyes
Huxley, 1880 - Bony Fishes
- Class: Osteichthyes
Huxley, 1880 - Bony Fishes
- Subclass: Actinopterygii
- Ray-Finned Fishes
- Infraclass: Actinopteri
- Cohort: Clupeocephala
- Superorder: Acanthopterygii
- Order: Perciformes
- Perch-like Fishes
- Suborder: Kurtoidei - Forehead Brooders
- Order: Perciformes
- Perch-like Fishes
- Superorder: Acanthopterygii
- Cohort: Clupeocephala
- Infraclass: Actinopteri
- Subclass: Actinopterygii
- Ray-Finned Fishes
- Class: Osteichthyes
Huxley, 1880 - Bony Fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes
Huxley, 1880 - Bony Fishes
- Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
- Phylum: Chordata
Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
- Infrakingdom: Chordonia
(Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Branch: Deuterostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Suborder Kurtoidei is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Series (1): Percomorpha
- Family (1): Kurtidae
Families
Kurtidae
The nurseryfishes or forehead brooders are a family (Kurtidae) of that are notable for carrying their egg clusters on hooks protruding from the forehead (supraoccipital) of the males. The family consists of just two species in the single genus Kurtus. [more]
At least 4 species and subspecies belong to the Family Kurtidae.
More info about the Family Kurtidae may be found here.
References
- ^ Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 189. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ Berra research on nurseryfish
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
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