| Flagtails | ||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||
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Kuhlia boninensis Kuhlia caudavittata Kuhlia marginata Kuhlia mugil Kuhlia munda Kuhlia nutabunda Kuhlia rupestris Kuhlia sandvicensis Kuhlia taeniura |
The flagtails or aholeholes are a family (Kuhliidae) of perciform fish of the Indo-Pacific area. The family consists of nine species in one genus Kuhlia, of which one (K. rupestris) is freshwater, with the others marine.
The distinctive characteristic of these fish is a scaly sheath around the dorsal and anal fins. The dorsal fin is deeply notched between the 10 spines and the 9-13 soft rays. The opercle has two spines, and the anal fin three. Their bodies are compressed and silvery, and they tend to be small, growing to 50 cm at most.
During the day they usually school, dispersing at night to feed on free-swimming crustaceans.