Assiculus punctatus Richardson, 1846

Open encyclopedia reference

Assiculus is a genus of fish in the Dottyback family Pseudochromidae. It is monotypic, containing only Assiculus punctatus. It is a small species of Dottyback which is covered in small, bright blue spots. The males are bluish in color while the females are greenish-yellow and are smaller than the males. A. punctatus is found in coastal areas in the vicinity of reefs and weedy areas; normally in rather turbid waters as deep as 30 metres (98 ft). This species is secretive and frequents areas where there are highly eroded limestone reefs and rocks.

The genus and species were first published by Sir John Richardson in an appendix to Volume 1 of John Lort Stokes' 1846 Discoveries in Australia. The specific name punctatus references the small blue spots on the dorsal part of the body and fins.

Wikipedia contributors, Assiculus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:04:37.668767+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Assiculus punctatus Richardson, 1846

Name authority

Richardson, 1846

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Family

Pseudochromidae

Genus

Assiculus

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. familyPseudochromidae Müller & Troschel, 1849
11. subfamilyAssiculinae
12. genusAssiculus Richardson, 1846
13. speciesAssiculus punctatus Richardson, 1846

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 139 records assigned to Pseudochromidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Richardson, J. (1846). Descriptions of six fish. J. L. Stokes, Vol. 1, Appendix. Discoveries in Australia with an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed during the Voyage of H. M. S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-41-42-43. By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admirality, Pp. 484–497, Pls. 1–4, By command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admirality. Also a narrative ... islands in the Arafura Sea. London. T. and W. Boone, London. xii + 521 pp., Pls. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:HMD7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.