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Flagtail

Flagtails
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Actinopterygii
Order:Perciformes
Family:Kuhliidae
Species
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.

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