Schooling bannerfish

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Schooling bannerfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Heniochus
Species: H. diphreutes
Binomial name
Heniochus diphreutes
D. S. Jordan, 1903
Schooling on a wreck, Taba.

The schooling bannerfish, or false moorish idol, is a marine fish of the genus heniochus, native to areas near Africa. It is sometimes traded, in aquaria, as a less expensive alternative to actual moorish idols.

Description

White with 2 broad diagonal black bands, up to 7 inches (18cm) in length. Similar in appearance to Heniochus acuminatus but has larger eye and smaller snout.[1] Dramatically similar to actual moorish idols, these fish are only distantly related, and appear to only have convergently evolved the same traits.

Habitat

In schools, juveniles on isolated coral heads or patch reefs, adults in midwater.

Distribution

Red Sea and South Africa to warm-temperate Australia and the Hawaiian Islands.[2]

A comparison of the three remarkably similar fish, the moorish idol (left), schooling bannerfish (top), and pennant coralfish(bottom)

In the Aquarium

Thrives best in moderate reef tanks of 25-26 degrees celsius. They will usually feed on plankton and brine shrimp, although if underfed they might nip at invertebrates.

References

  1. ↑ Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) Coral reef guide; Red Sea London, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-715986-2
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Heniochus diphreutes" in FishBase. 5 2007 version.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.