WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

False Moorish Idol

Heniochus diphreutes

Also known as: Bannerfish, Coralfish, False Moorish Idol, Heniochus Butterfly, Pennant Butterflyfish, Pennant Coralfish, Pennantfish, Poorman's Moorish Idol, Schooling Butterflyfish, Schooling Coachman, Schooling Pennant Butterflyfish, Schooling Pennantfish, Schooling Bannerfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@Monikaw · Embudu and Vilamendu, Maldives · February 20161 / 18
01

Overview

Found in pairs and large schools, swimming above the reef, over current swept channels and outer reef slopes.
Juveniles found over isolated patch reefs.

Butterflyfishes have very fine hair like teeth that enable them to pick out small organisms inaccessible to most other fish for eating.
They thrive mainly on a diet of coral polyps, tentacles of featherdusters and Christmas-tree worms. As these food sources all zap back into their shells, butterflyfishes need to be able to hover motionless while picking at the coral and to dart swiftly over short distances to get the worm before it retracts. They do this by using their Pectoral fins as oars to brake, sprint, turn and even reverse.

02

How to identify

COLOURS
Pattern
stripes

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Exact location · 2
  • Country only · 16
LIVES IN

Found in pairs and large schools, swimming above the reef, over current swept channels and outer reef slopes.

04

Adult photos 18

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderAcanthuriformes
    5. familyChaetodontidae
    6. genusHeniochus
    7. speciesHeniochus diphreutes Jordan, 1903

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)