coral reef fishes main classification with zeogeographical distribution in all the world.

1. MAIN GROUPS OF CORAL
REEF FISHES

2. SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION
• KINGDOM: ANIMALIA
• PHYLUM: CHORDATA
• CLASS: ACTINOPTERYGII
• ORDER: PERCIFORMES

3. THREE MAIN TAXA WITH EIGHT FAMILIES ARE THE
MAIN CORAL REEF FISHES GROUPS
3maintaxa
Labroids
Labridae Wrasses
scaridae Parrotfishes
Pomacentridae Damselfishes
Acanthuroids
Acanthuridae Surgeonfishes
Siganidae Rabbitfishes
Zanclidae Moorish idols
Chaetodontoids
Chaetodontidae Butterflyfishes
Pomacanthidae Angelfishes

4. WRASSES
• RANGE: ATLANTIC OCEAN, PACIFIC OCEAN AND INDIAN OCEAN.
• HABITATS: INHABIT SHALLOW HABITATS AS CORAL REEFS AND ROCKY SHORES.
• FEEDING HABITS:
• SMALL ANIMALS
• DETRITUS
• SMALL AMOUNT OF ALGAE
• SOME ARE CARNIVORES
• 500 SPECIES WITHIN LABRIDAE FAMILY
• DIURNAL SPECIES

5. PARROTFISHES
• RANGE: SHALLOW TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL OCEANS THROUGHOUT WORLD
AND LARGEST RICHNESS IN INDO-PACIFIC OCEAN.
• FROM FAMILY SCARIDAE WITH 60 SPECIES SWIMMING IN CORAL REEFS AROUND
THE WORLD.
• BRIGHTLY COLOURED.
• FEEDING HABITS: ON ALGAE THAT COULD SMOTHER THE CORAL IF THEY DIDN’T
EAT IT.
• FEMALES CAN CHANGE TO MALE.

6. DAMSELFISHES
• RANGE: IN TROPICAL CORAL REEFS.
• MOST ARE MARINE AND FEW INHABIT RIVERS IN LOWER STRETCHES
• FEEDING HABITS:
• CRUSTCEANS
• PLANKTONS
• ALGAE
• THEY ARE HIGHLY TERRITORIAL.
• FROM FAMILY POMACENTRIDAE.

7. SURGEON FISHES
• FAMILY ACANTHURIDAE WITH 60
SPECIES
• RANGE: MARINE FISH LIVING
ORGANISMS IN TROPICAL CORAL SEAS
• FEEDING HABITS:
• HERBIVORES
• FEED ON ALGAE
• FEED AS SOLITARY INDIVIDUALS AND
SOMETIMES FEED IN SCHOOLS

8. RABBIT FISHES
• SOME LIVES IN SCHOOLS WHILE OTHERS LIVE
SOLITARY
• ALL RABBIT FISHES ARE DIURNAL
• FEEDING HABITS:
• HERBIVORES
• BENTHIC ALGAE IN THE WILD
• RABBITFISHES OR SPINE FOOTS BELONG TO THE
FAMILY SIGANIDAE

9. MOORISH IDOLS
• FROM FAMILY ACANTHRIDAE
• ITS ONLY ONE SPECIES
• ARE HERBIVORES OR DETRITIVORES
• THEIR LARGELY HERBIVOROUS FEEDING
BEHAVIOR HAS PROFOUND IMPACT ON
THE ECOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS.

10. BUTTERFLY FISHES
• BELONG TO FAMILY CHAETODONTIDAE
• 120 SPECIES
• RANGE: ON THE REEFS OF ATLANTIC, INDIAN
AND PACIFIC OCEANS
• FEEDING HABITS:
• ON CORALS (CORALLIVORES)
• SEA ANEMONES
• ZOOPLANKTON
• SPECIES FEED ON CORALS ARE TERRITORIAL AND
MAY BE SOLITARY

11. ANGEL FISHES
• FAMILY POMACANTHIDAE
• 100 DIFFERENT SPECIES
• RANGE: NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
CORALS AND RIVERS
• FEEDING HABITS:
• HERBIVORES ON ALGAE
• FISH AND PLANKTON
• COMPRESSED BODIES WITH
CONTINUOUS DORSAL FIN

12. GENERAL NOTES
• BOTH BUTTERFLYFISHES AND ANGELFISHES
• EXHIBIT MARKED LATERAL COMPRESSION
• POSSESS SMALL TERMINAL MOUTHS WITH BRISTLELIKE TEETH
• ARE OFTEN AMONG THE MOST BRIGHTLY COLORED FISHES ON THE REEF.
• THERE ARE 11 OTHER FAMILIES THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT
BASED ON A COMBINATION OF REEF ASSOCIATION AND STUDY BY MARINE ECOLOGISTS.
• THE SPECIOSE DEMERSAL,
• SITE ATTACHED BLENNIES (BLENNIIDAE)
• GOBIES (GOBIIDAE); THE SMALL, NOCTURNALLY ACTIVE PREDATORY CARDINALFISH
(APOGONIDAE) AND GRUNT (HAEMULIDAE) FAMILIES;
• THE BIZARRE AND HIGHLY EVOLVED BOXFISHES (OSTRACIIDAE),
• PUFFERS (TETRAODONTIDAE),
• TRIGGERFISHES (BALISTIDAE); THE LARGE, OFTEN PISCIVOROUS,
• PREDATORY SEA BASSES (SERRANIDAE),
• SNAPPERS (LUTJANIDAE), AND EMPERORS (LETHRINIDAE);
• AND THE FREQUENTLY-PLANKTIVORUS SQUIRRELFISHES AND SOLDIERFISHES
(HOLOCENTRIDAE)

13. ZOOGEOGRAPHICAL
BOUNDARIES
• THOSE REGIONS ARE:
• 1) THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION,
• 2) THE EASTERN PACIFIC REGION,
• 3) THE WESTERN ATLANTIC REGION
• 4) THE EASTERN ATLANTIC REGION.
• THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION IS BY FAR THE LARGEST OF
BRIGGS' ZOOGEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS STRETCHING
FROM THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA ALL THE WAY TO
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.