Butterflyfish Codexery

Heniochus varius

A butterflyfish with prominent horns and a hump on the forehead.

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Heniochus varius

Diego Delso · via Wikipedia: Heniochus varius · CC BY-SA 4.0

Heniochus varius, commonly known as the horned bannerfish or humphead bannerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the central Indo-Pacific area and is notable for the distinctive pair of horns and a prominent bump on the forehead of adults, which set it apart from other bannerfish.

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAcanthuriformes
  6. FamilyChaetodontidae
  7. GenusHeniochus
  8. SpeciesHeniochus varius

Named by (Cuvier, 1829)

Close relatives

Other species of Heniochus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Heniochus varius (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 276750 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2010

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Heniochus varius and a personA 0.19 m long heniochus varius drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.19 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.19 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Heniochus varius

Where the heniochus varius has been recorded

Where the heniochus varius has been recorded239 mapped locations from 2,714 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Ambon IslandAmbon Island

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (2,714 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 25 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Background

The horned bannerfish was first formally described as Taurichthys varius in 1829 by the French anatomist Georges Cuvier, with the type locality given as Ambon Island in Indonesia. It has the typical deep-bodied and highly compressed body of butterflyfishes. Adults are distinguished by a pair of obvious horns on the forehead just above the eyes and a prominent bump on the forehead. The predominant body color is brown to blackish, broken by a thin white band behind the head and a second white band running from the spiny part of the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle, creating a triangle of the base color on the body.

Related entries

Same family (Chaetodontidae)

Black butterflyfish Chaetodon flavirostrisBlackback butterflyfish Chaetodon melannotusBlacktail butterflyfish Chaetodon austriacusBluecheek butterflyfish Chaetodon semilarvatus

Named in this entry

International Union for Conservation of Nature

More in Butterflyfish

Prognathodes aculeatusBank butterflyfishPrognathodes dichrousChaetodontidaeJohnrandalliaParachaetodonPrognathodesChaetodonChaetodon argentatusChaetodon aureofasciatusChaetodon auripesBanded butterflyfish

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. Who first scientifically described the Heniochus varius?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Georges Cuvier.

From the source: “Heniochus varius was first formally described as Taurichthys varius in 1829 by the French anatomist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) with the type locality given as Ambon Island in Indonesia.”

2. To which biological family does the Heniochus varius belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Chaetodontidae.

From the source: “Heniochus varius, the horned bannerfish or humphead bannerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, native from the central Indo-Pacific area.”

3. What is the IUCN Red List category of the Heniochus varius?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Least Concern.

From the source: “In some geographic areas, the horned bannerfish is occasionally harvested for the aquarium trade, however the species does not currently appear threatened is listed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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