Tribe Apogonichthyini Snodgrass & Heller 1905

Type genus Apogonichthys Bleeker 1854a

Diagnosis. Members of the Apogoninae: dorsal fin VII(I) or VIII+I,7–10; anal fin II,7–9; head and body with ctenoid scales; pored lateral-line scales, 3–24, scales not pored with groove or pit in scale; preopercle smooth on ridge, serrate or smooth on edges, where smooth a narrow weakly ossified to unossified flap; three supraneurals; supramaxilla narrow, reduced or absent; basisphenoid reduced or absent; one pair of uroneurals present; three epurals; five free hypurals or 1–2 fused and 3–4 fused, one or more fused to terminal centrum; free parhypural; caudal fin emarginate, truncate or rounded; head and body reddish, brownish or blackish without stripes, often with pale or dark spots on body.

Other characteristics. two supernumerary spines; branched first segmented dorsal and anal ray; ctenoid scales on predorsal, cheek, breast, two pelvic scales, and body; ctenoid scale on opercle and onto base of caudal fin; pored lateral-line scales simple with one pore on upper side and one on lower side; pectoral fin-rays 11–16; three supraneurals; 9+8 segmented principal caudal rays, 15 branched, upper and lower unbranched; unbranched procurrent rays, longest segmented; teeth on premaxilla, dentary, vomer, palatine, all villiform (one species present on ectopterygoid) or absent on palatine; six infraorbitals, bony shelf on third infraorbital; supramaxilla absent; basisphenoid present, reduced or absent; anterior ceratohyal smooth or notched; 10+14 or 10+15 (Vincentia) vertebrae; 8 ribs; 8–9 epineurals; low crest on PU2.

Distribution. Apogonichthys, Foa Jordan & Evermann in Jordan & Seale 1905, are widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea, East Africa to Japan, Hawaii and French Polynesia; Fowleria Jordan & Evermann 1903 and Neamia from the Red Sea, East Africa to Japan and French Polynesia; and Vincentia known from warmtemperate Australia.

Remarks. This tribe contains five genera, Apogonichthys, Neamia, Foa, Fowleria and Vincentia, almost corresponding to the clade III in the molecular trees (Figs. 2–6, Table 4). The last genus, Vincentia, was tentatively included in this tribe, because it was sister to the clade III in the trees of Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Members are morphologically defined by the following characters: the smooth preopercle edges, rounded caudal fin, a reduced supramaxilla, and 10+14 vertebrae. Vincentia does not show these morphological features, and was sister not to the clade III, but to Glossamia in tree in Fig. 5. Thus, Vincentia may not belong to this tribe. Species of Neamia were not part of the molecular analysis, but thought to belong to this tribe through morphological synapomorphies (smooth preopercle edges, reduced supramaxilla, rounded caudal fin and color patterns).

Apogonichthyidae has been used several times first by Snodgrass & Heller (1905) with two species of Eastern Pacific Apogon, then by Jordan & Evermann (1905) with Apogonichthys and other apogonids and again by Jordan & Seale (1905) with Amia Gronow in Gray 1854a an unavailable name for Apogon and other apogonids. No type genus was mentioned by any of these authors. Jordan and co-workers had previously used Apogonidae. The stem of Apogonichthyidae is Apogonichthy. We use the tribal name in conjunction with Apogonichthys Bleeker 1854a the source of the stem.