Armorhead

Armorheads
File:Zaclistius elevatus (Longfin boarfish).jpg
Longfin boarfish, Zaclistius elevatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Pentacerotidae Bleeker, 1859
Genera
Evistias Histiopterus Parazanclistius Paristiopterus Pentaceropsis Pentaceros Zanclistius

The armorheads are a small family, Pentacerotidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes. They are native to the Indian Ocean, western and central Pacific, and southwestern Atlantic. They are generally found at rocky reefs below normal scuba diving depths, although several species occur in low densities at shallower depths.

Their name, from Greek pente meaning "five" and keras meaning "horn", refers to the prominent, sharp spines in their dorsal fins (though these do not number five in all species). The largest species in the family (Paristiopterus) may reach a length of 1 m (3.3 ft). Many species have distinct dark-and-light-striped bodies, while others are overall dusky-silvery.

Timeline

External Links

• Smith, J.L.B. 1964. Fishes of the family Pentacerotidae. Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 29. Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2014). "Pentacerotidae" in FishBase. February 2014 version.