''Goniistius'' is a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

es, traditionally classified as being within the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Cheilodactylus ''Cheilodactylus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to this family. They are found in the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere and in the N ...

'' and belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cheilodactylidae Cheilodactylidae, commonly called morwongs but also known as butterfish, fingerfins, jackassfish, sea carp, snappers, and moki, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in subtropical oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. The common na ...

, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to this family and the true taxonomic placement of this taxon requires clarification. They are found in the Pacific Ocean and southeastern Indian Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Goniistius'' was created as a subgenus of ''Cheilodactylus'' in 1862 by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

Theodore Nicholas Gill Theodore Nicholas Gill (March 21, 1837 – September 25, 1914) was an American ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist, and librarian. Career Born and educated in New York City under private tutors, Gill early showed interest in natural histor ...

with ''Cheilodactylus zonatus'' designated as its

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

. The name of the subgenus is a compound of ''gonio'' meaning “angle” and ''istios'' which means “sail”, Gill did not explain what his name alluded to but he may have been referring to the deep incision between spiny and soft-rayed parts of the dorsal fin of the type species. Genetic and morphological analyses of the family Cheolodactylidae have found that the family as traditionally arranged is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

. These analyses suggest that the a monophyletic Cheilodactylidae would contain only two species, the southern African '' C. fasciatus'' and '' C. pixi''. ''Goniistius'' is then proposed to be a valid genus and would be placed in the family

Latridae Latridae commonly called trumpeters, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in temperate seas in the Southern Hemisphere. The classification of the species within the Latridae and the related Cheilodactylidae is unclear.They are ...

Species

The following species belong in this subgenus: * '' Goniistius francisi'' ( C. P. Burridge, 2004) (Blacktip morwong) * '' Goniistius gibbosus'' J. Richardson, 1841 (Western crested morwong) * '' Goniistius plessisi'' J. E. Randall, 1983 (Plessis' morwong) * '' Goniistius quadricornis'' Günther, 1860 * '' Goniistius rubrolabiatus'' G. R. Allen & Heemstra, 1976 * '' Goniistius vestitus'' ( Castelnau, 1879) (Crested morwong) * ''

Goniistius vittatus ''Goniistius'' is a subgenus of marine ray-finned fishes, traditionally classified as being within the genus ''Cheilodactylus'' and belonging to the Family (biology), family Cheilodactylidae, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to ...

'' A. Garrett, 1864 (Hawaiian morwong) * '' Goniistius zebra'' Döderlein, 1883 (Redlip morwong) * '' Goniistius zonatus'' ( G. Cuvier, 1830) (Spottedtail morwong)

Characteristics

Goniistius is characterised by having an oval, compressed body. The mouth has thick, fleshy lips, In most species there is a bony processes on the frontal bone in line with the centre of the eye or it is in the front of the mouth in two species while in ''G. rubrolabiatus'' and ''G. zonatus'' it is absent. All species have a steep dorsal profile to the head and a deep body, other than ''G. rubrolabiatus'' There are 14-17 spines and 29-35 soft rays in the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

while the

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

contains 3 spines and 8-12 soft rays, There are 14

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

rays, of these the lowermost 6 are simple and robust, and the fin does not extend to the anal fin. The pattern of the body is typically that there are a number of black and white diagonal bars along the body and head, except for ''G. rubrolabiatus'', in which the black is replaced by reddish brown, and in ''G. zonatus'' in which yellow replaces the black. The maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of the species within ''Goniistius'' ranges from in ''G. zebra'' and in ''G. zonatus''.

Distribution and habitat

The species in ''Goniistius'' are mainly found in the Pacific Ocean in both the northern Pacific and southern Pacific. This genus contains the only morwongs found in the northern hemisphere. Two species reach the eastern Indian Ocean. They are found in rocky areas.

Biology

''Goniistius'' morwongs feed on benthic invertebrates which they pick from the substrate.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2693535 Latridae Cheilodactylus Goniistius Animal subgenera