''Rusichthys'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
ray-finned fishes
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 hor ...
, classified under the
subfamily Congrogadinae
Congrogadinae is a subfamily of ray-finned fishes, one of four subfamilies that make up the family Pseudochromidae, these elongated fish are commonly called eel-blennies.
Characteristics
The species in the subfamily Congrogadidae have elongat ...
, the eel blennies, part of the
dottyback
The dottybacks are a family, Pseudochromidae, of fishes which were formerly classified in the order Perciformes, but this has been revised and the family is regarded as of uncertain affinities, or '' incertae sedis'' within the Ovalentaria, a ...
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, from the western Indian Ocean. The
generic name is a compound of the
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in '' NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, a ...
RUSI which stands for
Rhodes University Smith Institute and thus honours the
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
n
ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of October ...
James Leonard Brierley Smith
James Leonard Brierley Smith (26 September 1897 – 8 January 1968) was a South African ichthyologist, organic chemist, and university professor. He was the first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought to be long ...
Species
The following species are classified in the genus ''Rusichthys'':
* ''
Rusichthys explicitus''
Winterbottom, 1996
* ''
Rusichthys plesiomorphus''
Winterbottom, 1979
References
{{Taxonbar, From=Q2069587
Congrogadinae