Kyphosid

The kyphosids are today one of the most primitive percosid families.

A few apogonids are similarly shaped and pigmented, but none are as robust as kyphosids, and all have a prominent gas bladder and a divided dorsal fin with fewer elements. Heavily pigmented perciform larvae such as Iatids and toxotids have different skin meristics and smaller head spines than kyphosids.

Siganids and kyphosids are less speciose than scarines and acanthurids, and are more conservative in their feeding habitats (Choat 1991, Choat et al 2002).