Choerodon is a genus of wrasses native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. They originated in the Miocene, when the Australian and Eurasian Plates collided. They are commonly referred to as tuskfish, because most species have sharp tusk-like teeth.
Taxonomy The genus Choerodon is most closely related to the odacine wrasses. Both groups are part of the wrasse tribe Hypsigenyini. Choerodon is split into 6 subgenera. Molecular phylogenetic analysis has so far demonstrated the monophyly of the subgenera, although not all species in the genus have been evaluated.
Choerodon typus was traditionally placed within its own genus Xiphocheilus, but both morphological and molecular analyses now place it within Choerodon, with Xiphocheilus becoming its subgenus name instead.
Potential tool use in tuskfishes Orange-dotted, blue, graphic, and blackspot tuskfish have been recorded using large rocks or hard coral as "anvils", upon which they smash open hard-shelled prey items. All four species belong to the subgenus Choerodon, and can remember to use a particular rock or coral repeatedly for this purpose. This behaviour usually involves invertebrate prey such as clams and sea urchins, but on one occasion, a blue tuskfish was filmed smashing a young green sea turtle on an anvil. Anvil use is also documented in several other wrasse genera.
Species The 27 currently recognized species in this genus are:
+SubgenusSpeciesCommon nameImageAspiurochilusChoerodon azurio (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901)Azurio tuskfishChoerodon cypselurus Gomon, 2017swallowtail tuskfishChoerodon monostigma J. D. Ogilby, 1910dark-spot tuskfishChoerodon robustus (Günther, 1862)robust tuskfishChoerodon zamboangae (Seale & B. A. Bean, 1907)purple eyebrowed tuskfishChoerodonChoerodon anchorago (Bloch, 1791)orange-dotted tuskfishChoerodon cauteroma M. F. Gomon & G. R. Allen, 1987bluespotted tuskfishChoerodon cephalotes (Castelnau, 1875)purple tuskfishChoerodon cyanodus (J. Richardson, 1843)blue tuskfishChoerodon graphicus (de Vis, 1885)graphic tuskfishChoerodon oligacanthus (Bleeker, 1851)white-patch tuskfishChoerodon rubescens (Günther, 1862)baldchin groperChoerodon schoenleinii (Valenciennes, 1839)blackspot tuskfishChoerodon venustus (de Vis, 1884)Venus tuskfishLienardellaChoerodon fasciatus (Günther, 1867)harlequin tuskfishLutjanilabrusChoerodon vitta J. D. Ogilby, 1910redstripe tuskfishPeaolopseiaChoerodon albofasciatus Gomon, 2017Choerodon aurulentus Gomon, 2017gilded tuskfishChoerodon frenatus J. D. Ogilby, 1910bridled tuskfishChoerodon gomoni G. R. Allen & J. E. Randall, 2002Gomon's tuskfishChoerodon gymnogenys (Günther, 1867)Choerodon jordani (Snyder, 1908)Jordan's tuskfishChoerodon margaritiferus Fowler & B. A. Bean, 1928pearly tuskfishChoerodon skaiopygmaeus Gomon, 2017Choerodon sugillatum M. F. Gomon, 1987wedge-tailed tuskfishChoerodon zosterophorus (Bleeker, 1868)Zoster wrasseXiphocheilusChoerodon typus Bleeker, 1856blue-banded wrasse
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