Belonoperca

Belonoperca
	Belonoperca chabanaudi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Serranidae
Subfamily:	Epinephelinae
Tribe:	Diploprionini
Genus:	Belonoperca; Fowler & B.A. Bean, 1930
Type species
	Belonoperca chabanaudi; Fowler & B.A. Bean, 1930
Species
	see text

Belonoperca is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and included in the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Characteristics

The species within Belonoperca are elongated, predatory fish^[1] that produce the toxin grammistin in the mucus on their skin.^[2] The two species in the genus have 9 spines in their dorsal fin, although B, chabanaudi may have 10, and both have 10 dorsal fin rays. Other members of the tribe Diploprionini have more dorsal fin rays than the species of Belonoperca. They also differ from related fishes in the arrangement of the spines and rays in the anal fin.^[3]

Species

There are two species within the genus Belonoperca:^[4]


Image	Species	Common name
	Belonoperca chabanaudi Fowler & B.A. Bean, 1930	Arrowhead soapfish
	Belonoperca pylei Baldwin & Smith, 1998	Orangespotted soapfish

Utilisation

The soapfishes in the genus Belonoperca are sometimes found in the aquarium trade.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Lemon Tyk (14 May 2012). "Belonoperca soapfishes are striking predators that prefer cool and dimly lit setups". Reefbuilders.
^ Bray, D.J. (2018). "Belonoperca chabanaudi". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
^ Carole C. Baldwin & W. Leo Smith (1998). "Belonoperca pylei, a new species of seabass (Teleostei: Serranidae: Epinephelinae: Diploprionini) from the Cook Islands with comments on relationships among diploprionins". Ichthyological Research. 45 (4): 325–339. doi:10.1007/BF02725185. S2CID 7029170.
^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Belonoperca". FishBase. December 2019 version.

[reefbuilders-1] Lemon Tyk (14 May 2012). "Belonoperca soapfishes are striking predators that prefer cool and dimly lit setups". Reefbuilders.

[FofA-2] Bray, D.J. (2018). "Belonoperca chabanaudi". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 19 August 2020.

[Baldwin-3] Carole C. Baldwin & W. Leo Smith (1998). "Belonoperca pylei, a new species of seabass (Teleostei: Serranidae: Epinephelinae: Diploprionini) from the Cook Islands with comments on relationships among diploprionins". Ichthyological Research. 45 (4): 325–339. doi:10.1007/BF02725185. S2CID 7029170.

[Fishbase-4] Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Belonoperca". FishBase. December 2019 version.

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