Description
provided by World Register of Marine Species
Chiefly marine. Some in brackish water; in streams (tropical Pacific Islands). Distribution: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Dorsal fins separate. First dorsal fin with 6-8 spines; 8-14 soft rays in the second. Spines in anal fin 2; soft rays 8-18. Scales usually ctenoid; several groups with cycloid scales (absent in Gymnapogon). Branchiostegal rays 7. Vertebrae 24 or 25 (10 + 14 or 15). Many are mouthbrooders. It is suspected that in some species the incubation of eggs is done only by the males or by the females. Most species below 10 cm.
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