Plesiops is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Plesiopidae. It is a genus of small fishes which vary in length from and and which live in shallow coral flats or around heads of coral. They have elongated pelvic fins and the other fins are marked with colourful patterns such as stripes and these give name to the common names "longfin" and "prettyfin". They are thought to be nocturnal and are infrequently seen in the wild. They are carnivorous and their diet is made up of crustaceans, gastropods and small fishes and sometimes on brittle stars. A defining characteristic of this genus is that they lay elongated eggs which are laid under rocks or overhangs and are guarded by the male. Species The following species are currently recognised within the genus Plesiops: Plesiops auritus Plesiops cephalotaenia Plesiops coeruleolineatus Plesiops corallicola Plesiops facicavus Plesiops genaricus Plesiops gracilis Plesiops insularis Plesiops malalaxus Plesiops multisquamata Plesiops mystaxus Plesiops nakaharae Plesiops nigricans Plesiops oxycephalus Plesiops polydactylus Plesiops thysanopterus Plesiops verecundus References Plesiopinae Taxa named by Lorenz Oken