Barber Butterflyfish
| Barber Butterflyfish | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barber Butterflyfish ( Johnrandallia nigrirostris ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Johnrandallia | ||||||||||||
| Nalbant , 1974 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Johnrandallia nigrirostris | ||||||||||||
| ( Gill , 1862) |
The barber butterflyfish ( Johnrandallia nigrirostris ) is a species from the butterflyfish family (Chaetodon). It occurs in the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California , where it is the most common butterfly fish, to Panama and can also be found near Isla del Coco , Isla de Malpelo and the Galápagos Islands . It lives at depths of six to twelve, at most up to 40 meters.
features
The barber butterflyfish can grow to a maximum of eight inches, but usually stays at four to six inches in length. Its body is flattened on the sides and high back, the head profile steep and concave, the muzzle extended. The teeth are very small and arranged in a comb-like band. In contrast to the Chaetodon , the sideline is fully developed, extends also on the tail fin stalk and runs in an arc below the back line. The body is yellow or silver in color, the head is white. In the case of silvery specimens, the fins and the side line are yellow. The muzzle, forehead, the edge of the gill cover, the base of the pectoral fin and the lower part of the dorsal fin and the caudal fin stalk are black.
Fin formula : Dorsal XI – XII / 24–25, Anale III / 18–20.
The barber butterflyfish is the sister species of the banner fish ( Heniochus ).
Way of life
The barber butterflyfish live in large schools over rock and coral reefs . It feeds on algae, snails and small crustaceans. It also works as a cleaner fish and eats parasites and dead skin from larger fish. This can lead to mass cleaning campaigns in which more than a hundred barber butterflyfish serve hundreds of "customers". This behavior is unique among butterfly fish.
literature
- Rudie H. Kuiter , Helmut Debelius : Butterfly fish, Chaetodon . Ulmer Verlag, 2003, ISBN 3-8001-4243-0
- Gerald R. Allen : Butterfly and Angelfish, Volume 2 . Mergus Verlag, 1979, ISBN 3-88244-002-3
Remarks
- ↑ Fessler, Jennifer L. & Westneat, Mark W. (2007): Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 45 (1): 50-68. doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2007.05.018
Web links
- Barber Butterflyfish on Fishbase.org (English)
- Johnrandallia nigrirostris inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Lea, B., Rivera, F., Zapata, F., Allen, G., Merlen, G., Edgar, G., Rocha, LA, Craig, MT & Robertson, R., 2009. Retrieved on February 9, 2014.