Red Sea bannerfish

Last updated

Red Sea bannerfish
Pez estandarte del mar Rojo (Heniochus intermedius), parque nacional Ras Muhammad, Egipto, 2022-03-27, DD 106.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Heniochus
Species:
H. intermedius
Binomial name
Heniochus intermedius

The Red Sea bannerfish (Heniochus intermedius) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean. It has been recorded as an introduced species off Florida and as a Lessepsian migrant in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Turkey.

Contents

Description

The Red Sea bannerfish has a deeply compressed body which is coloured pale yellow fading to white on the beck towards the head. There are 2 wide, angled oblique vertical blackish bands, these are darker below and become more diffuse towards the back. The forward band starts at the origin of the dorsal fin, adjacent to or over the eye and runs to the pelvic fin. The rear band starts at the spiny part of the dorsal fin and runs to rear part of the anal fin. The pectoral, the soft part of the dorsal and anal fins and the caudal fin are yellow, while the pelvic fins are black. [2] It has a very elongated white filament extending from the anterior part of the dorsal fin dorsal filament which moves while the fish is swimming, resembling a banner being blown in the wind. [3] The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 25-26 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17-18 soft rays. [4] This species attains as maximum total length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in). [5]

Distribution

The Red Sea bannerfish is native to the western Indian Ocean where it is found in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. [1] It has been introduced to the waters off south eastern Florida, probably by means of escapes or releases from the aquarium or trade. [2] Recently recorded in the Gulf of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey following a likely introduction via the Suez Canal from the Red Sea, it remains very rare. [6] [7]

Habitat and biology

The Red Sea bannerfish is associated with coral reefs where it is most frequently recorded as a solitary fish or in pairs, although large schools have been recorded. The juveniles form large schools, particularly in areas of deep reef where there is a low density of corals. They feed on both zooplankton and benthic invertebrates but the extent to which they feed on live coral has still to be determined. [1] It is an oviparous species which forms monogamous pairs for spawning. [5]

Utilisation

The Red Sea bannerfish is collected for the aquarium trade [3] but its collection is of a limited scale and is not believed to be a threat to the species population. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergeant major (fish)</span> Species of fish

For other uses, see Sergeant major (disambiguation).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emperor angelfish</span> Species of fish

The emperor angelfish is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite of photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennant coralfish</span> Species of fish

The pennant coralfish, also known as the longfin bannerfish, reef bannerfish or coachman, is a species of fish of the family Chaetodontidae, native to the Indo-Pacific area.

<i>Heniochus</i> Genus of fishes

Heniochus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, butterflyfishes from the family Chaetodontidae. They are native to the Indo-Pacific. Though very similar in appearance to the Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus), the members of this genus are not closely related to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schooling bannerfish</span> Species of fish

The schooling bannerfish, also known as the false moorish idol, is a marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-edged lyretail</span> Species of fish

The yellow-edged lyretail also known as the yellowedge coronation trout, fairy cod, lunar tail rock cod, lunartailed cod, lyre-tail cod or moontail seabass,, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region and is more common than the congeneric white-edged lyretail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Pacific sergeant</span> Species of fish

The Indo-Pacific sergeant is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It may also be known as the Sergeant major although this name is usually reserved for the closely related species Abudefduf saxatilis. The closely related Abudefduf caudobimaculatus was formerly considered to be synonymous with this species and, according to some authorities, is synonymous.

<i>Pomacanthus maculosus</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus maculosus, the yellowbar angelfish, half-moon angelfish, yellow-marked angelfish, yellowband angelfish or yellow-blotched angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean and, more recently, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Cephalopholis taeniops</i> Species of fish

Cephalopholis taeniops, the African hind, bluespotted sea bass or spotted grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. This species occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade and is a target for local fisheries. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Lutjanus sebae</i> Species of fish

Lutjanus sebae, also known as red emperor, emperor red snapper, emperor snapper, government bream, king snapper, queenfish or red kelp, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral hawkfish</span> Species of fish

The coral hawkfish, the pixy hawkfish or sharp-headed hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It occasionally is found in the aquarium trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartail flathead</span> Species of fish

The bartail flathead, also known as the Indian flathead, gobi or Indo-Pacific flathead, is a species of largely marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is found in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean, and has invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Chaetodon hoefleri</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon hoefleri, the four-banded butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the tropical eastern Atlantic and has been recorded in the Mediterranean.

<i>Heniochus monoceros</i> Species of fish

Heniochus monoceros, the masked bannerfish, is a marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific area.

<i>Heniochus chrysostomus</i> Species of fish

Heniochus chrysostomus, also known as the threeband pennantfish, threeband bannerfish or pennant bannerfish, is a marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae.It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky spinefoot</span> Species of fish

The dusky spinefoot, also known the squaretail rabbitfish,is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is native to the western Indian Ocean which has spread to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. Its fin spines contain venom. It is regarded as a food fish.

<i>Heniochus singularius</i> Species of fish

Heniochus singularius, the singular bannerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Heniochus pleurotaenia</i> Species of fish

Heniochus pleurotaenia, the phantom bannerfish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, native from the central Indo-Pacific area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackear wrasse</span> Species of fish

The blackear wrasse is a species of wrasse, a type of fish in the family Labridae, from the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

Epinephelus geoffroyi, the Red Sea spotted grouper, is a species of marine fish in the genus Epinephelus in the grouper family. The species was first described in 1870. E. geoffroyi was previously considered a synonym of Epinephelus chlorostigma, but Randall et al. recognized it as a valid species in 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rocha, L.A.; Pyle, R.; Myers, R.F.; Craig, M.T.; Pratchett, M.; Carpenter, K.E. (2010). "Heniochus intermedius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165691A6093250. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165691A6093250.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Brown, M.E. & P.J. Schofield (2020). "Heniochus intermedius Steindachner, 1893". Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Red Sea bannerfish". liveaquaria.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  4. "Species: Heniochus intermedius, Red sea bannerfish". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  5. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Heniochus intermedius" in FishBase . December 2019 version.
  6. Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Heniochus intermedius). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Heniochus_intermedius.pdf
  7. Mehmet Gögkoğlu; Türker Bodur; Yasemin Kaya (2003). "First Record of Red Sea Bannerfish (Heniochus intermedius Steindachner, 1893) From The Mediterranean Sea". Israel Journal of Zoology. 43 (4): 324–325. doi:10.1560/016E-U41T-H5KQ-6F9U.