WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Pyramid Butterflyfish

Hemitaurichthys polylepis

Also known as: Brushy-toothed Butterflyfish, Coralfish, Pyramid Butterfly, Schooling Pyramid Butterflyfish, Shy Butterflyfish, Yellow Pyramid Butterfly, Yellow Pyramid Butterflyfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@fishx6 · Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia · August 20051 / 9
01

Overview

Found in small to large schools, sometimes containing hundreds! Along current swept drop-off's, of outer reefs, often high in the water column feeding.

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

Head & Mouth
black head

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Pacific Ocean
  • Country only · 9
LIVES IN

Found in small to large schools, sometimes containing hundreds!

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Adult photos 9

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Discussion

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    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderAcanthuriformes
    5. familyChaetodontidae
    6. genusHemitaurichthys
    7. speciesHemitaurichthys polylepis (Bleeker, 1857)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)