Pennant coralfish

The pennant coralfish (Heniochus acuminatus), 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.[3]

Pennant coralfish

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1] (Globally)

Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)(Arabian gulf)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Heniochus
Species:
H. acuminatus
Binomial name
Heniochus acuminatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Chaetodon acuminatus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Chaetodon macrolepidotus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Heniochus macrolepidotus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Taurichthys macrolepidotus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Chaetodon bifasciatus Shaw, 1803
  • Chaetodon mycteryzans Gronow, 1854

Description

The pennant coralfish is a small-sized fish that can reach a maximum length of 25 cm.[4][5] However, the average size generally observed in the nature oscillates around 15 cm.[6]

Its body is compressed laterally, the first rays of its dorsal fin stretch in a long white filament. The background color of its body is white with two large black diagonal bands. Beyond the second black stripe, the dorsal and the caudal fins are yellow. The pectoral fins are also yellow. The head is white, the eyes are black and linked together by a black band. The snout, spotted with black, is a bit stretched with a small terminal protractile (it can be extend) mouth.

The juvenile doesn't have yet after the second black stripe any white area like adults.

The pennant coralfish can easily be confused with the quite similar schooling bannerfish, (Heniochus diphreutes ). The main and visible differences are: a longer snout for the reef bannerfish and spots on its snout are darker, the pelvic fin of the reef bannerfish is longer and has a rounded end unlike the schooling bannerfish which has a smaller and more angular end.

A comparison of the three similar species: the moorish idol (left), schooling bannerfish (top), and pennant coralfish (bottom)

Distribution and habitat
A school outside an artificial reef

The pennant coralfish is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific from the eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea included, to Polynesia and from south Japan to the south of the Great Barrier Reef.[1]

The reef bannerfish likes relatively deep waters from protected lagoon, channels or outer reef slopes from 15 to 75 meters deep.[7][8][9]

Biology

The pennant coralfish lives in pairs and feeds on zooplankton in the water column, coral polyps[10] and occasionally benthic invertebrates. Juveniles are solitary and can feed by cleaning other fishes.[4]

Conservation status

The species is globally assessed as Least concern by the IUCN,[1] however some local populations are in decline. Much like many other reef fish, the pennant coral fish is threatened in the Persian Gulf due to the fact several coral reefs have been damaged and severely fragmented with no contiguous coral assemblages.[11]

Taxonomy

The pennant coralfish was first formally described as Chaetodon acuminatus in 1758 by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Natura.[12] Linnaeus also described a species he named Chaetodon macrolepidotus which Georges Cuvier used as the type species for the genus Heniochus and which has since come to be regarded as a synonym of H. acuminatus.[13]

References
  1. Rocha, L.A.; Pyle, R.; Craig, M.T.; Pratchett, M.; Carpenter, K.E. (2010). "Heniochus acuminatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T165626A6071516. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165626A6071516.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Heniochus acuminatus" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. "Species Heniochus acuminatus Linnaeus 1758". FishWisePro. 1758. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  4. Ewald Lieske & Richard Myers (2002). Coral reef fishes. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691089959.
  5. Heemstra, P.C., 1986. Chaetodontidae. p. 627-632. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  6. Bouhlel, M., 1988. Poissons de Djibouti. Placerville (California, USA): RDA International, Inc. 416 p.
  7. Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
  8. Rudie Kuiter, “Chaetodontidae & Microcanthidae”, Aquatic Photographics, 2004, ISBN 0953909735
  9. Dianne J. Bray. "Heniochus acuminatus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  10. Rumbold, Katrina. "ADW: Heniochus acuminatus: INFORMATION". Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  11. Feary, D.; Matsuura, K.; Motomura, H. (2015). "Pennant Coral Fish - Persian Gulf". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  12. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Heniochus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  13. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Chaetodontidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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