The flagtails (āhole[4] or āholehole[5] in the
Hawaiian language) are a
family (Kuhliidae) of
perciformfish of the
Indo-Pacific area. The family consists of several species in one genus, Kuhlia. Most are
euryhaline and often found in
brackish water, but the genus also includes species restricted to marine or fresh water.
Several species are known as
Hawaiian flagtails, particularly K. sandvicensis and K. xenura.
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 to 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 fish and
crustaceans.
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:[7]
^Mary Kawena Pukui and Elbert (2003).
"lookup of āhole". on Hawaiian dictionary. Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, University of Hawaii. Archived from
the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
^Mary Kawena Pukui and Elbert (2003).
"lookup of āholehole". on Hawaiian dictionary. Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, University of Hawaii. Archived from
the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
^
abRandall, J.E. and H.A. Randall, 2001. Review of the fishes of the genus Kuhlia (Perciformes: Kuhliidae) of the Central Pacific. Pac. Sci. 55(3):227-256.