Dark-banded fusilier

Pterocaesio tile
Pterocaesio tile at Bunaken, Sulawesi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Caesionidae
Genus:	Pterocaesio
Species:	P. tile
Binomial name
Pterocaesio tile (G. Cuvier, 1830)

Pterocaesio tile, common name Dark-banded fusilier, Blue-streak Fusilier, Bartail fusilier and Neon Fusilier, is a fish belonging to the family Caesionidae.

Description

Pterocaesio tile can reach a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in). The back of the body is dark blue, while the flanks show a bluish green strike with a black stripe along the lateral line. The lower third of the body varies from white to pinkish. The lower half of the body turns bright red at night (hence the common name Neon Fusilier). It is oviparous and non-migratory. Pterocaesio tile feeds on zooplankton and is relatively rare.

Distribution

This species is widespread in Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to the Tuamoto Islands, southern Japan, Mauritius and the Austral Islands.

Habitat

Pterocaesio tile is a coral-reef associated species. It usually can be found in lagoon and on the reef flats at depths up to 60 metres (200 ft).

References

• FishBase
• Carpenter K.E. (1988) FAO Species Catalogue: Vol 8: Fusilier fishes of the world Unipub. ISBN 978-92-5-102746-2.