Split-level hogfish

Split-level hogfish
Specimen from the northeast coast, Taiwan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Bodianus
Species: B. mesothorax
Binomial name
Bodianus mesothorax
(Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801)
Synonyms
  • Labrus mesothorax Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
  • Lepidaplois mesothorax (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801)
  • Scarus mordax Gronow, 1854

The split-level hogfish, Bodianus mesothorax, is a species of wrasse native to the western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean. They can be found on reefs at depths of 5 to 40 m (16 to 131 ft), though rarely below 20 m (66 ft). Juveniles inhabit caves in the reef. Adults of this species clean other fish by eating parasites on the body of other reef fish. This species can reach a length of 25 cm (9.8 in). This species can be found in the aquarium trade.[2]

Common Name

The common name of this species is the Split-level or Coral Hogfish.[3]

Appearance

The Coral Hogfish undergoes a major change from juvenile to adult coloration, typical of many hogfish species. The juvenile is jet-black, with bright yellow around its eyes and on the body. The adult hogfish has a pink head, and then a vertical black stripe separating the pink head from the rest of the body, which is bright yellow. The change of coloration occurs quickly, at around 2 inches.

Habitat and Dispersion

The Split-level Hogfish lives in reefs of the Eastern Indian and the Western Pacific Oceans. It is commonly imported for the fish trade from the Philippines and Indonesia.[4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bodianus mesothorax.
Wikispecies has information related to: Bodianus mesothorax

References

  1. ↑ Russell, B. 2010. Bodianus mesothorax. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 01 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Bodianus mesothorax" in FishBase. August 2013 version.
  3. ↑ Tristan Lougher (2006). What Fish?: A Buyer's Guide to Marine Fish. Interpet Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84286-118-9.
  4. ↑ Tristan Lougher (2006). What Fish?: A Buyer's Guide to Marine Fish. Interpet Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84286-118-9.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 1/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.