Pennant coralfish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pennant coralfish | ||||||||||||||
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| Heniochus acuminatus Linnaeus, 1758 |
The pennant coralfish or Coachman, Heniochus acuminatus, is a tropical fish of the family Chaetodontidae. It is also known colloquially as the "poor man's moorish idol".
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[edit] Appearance
The fish is mostly black and white, with an elongated dorsal fin making the fish reach around 25 cm. The fish's caudal, anal and pectoral fins are most commonly bright yellow. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Heniochus diphreutes, but has a longer and more circular shape.
[edit] Behavior
The species are social fish, and found in pairs or in shoals. They are a very passive fish, and rarely territorial. Some individuals even act as cleaners, especially when young, by removing parasites from other fish.
[edit] Diet
The pennant coralfish eats mostly plankton in the wild but are omnivorous in an aquarium setting.
[edit] Range
The pennant coralfish's natural distribution is in the Indian and Pacific oceans in reef settings, from southern Japan to Micronesia and Lord Howe Island.Also found in the Seychelles.
[edit] Habitat
It inhabits deep, protected lagoons and channels, and the deeper parts of outer reef slopes.
[edit] Economic value
The fish is uncommonly harvested for anything other than the marine aquarium industry. It is a fish commonly sold as an alternative to the Moorish idol, which are considered to be nearly impossible for most hobbyists to keep. It is fairly easy to care for when maintained in a properly-sized aquarium with peaceful tankmates.
[edit] References
- "Heniochus acuminatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. June 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Heniochus at Wetwebmedia.com
