Butterflyfish Codexery

Red Sea bannerfish

A butterflyfish with a banner-like dorsal filament.

Last updated

Red Sea bannerfish

Diego Delso · via Wikipedia: Red Sea bannerfish · CC BY-SA 4.0

This species is classified in the family Chaetodontidae, order Acanthuriformes.[1] The body of the Red Sea bannerfish is strongly flattened side-to-side, with a pale yellow coloration that transitions to white on the neck near the head.[2] This fish can grow up to 18 cm in total length.[2]

Scientific classification

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

Named by Steindachner, 1893

Close relatives

Other species of Heniochus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Red Sea bannerfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 218767 (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

Where the red sea bannerfish has been recorded

Where the red sea bannerfish has been recorded58 mapped locations from 1,620 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Red SeaRed Sea

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,620 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 11 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 2 isolated far-off records not drawn.

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)

Quick Facts

Dorsal fin spines
11
Dorsal fin soft rays
25-26
Anal fin spines
3
Anal fin soft rays
17-18
Native range
western Indian Ocean: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

It feeds on both zooplankton and benthic invertebrates.[3] Off the coast of southeastern Florida, this species has become established after likely being released or escaping from the aquarium trade.[4] Coral reef environments are where this fish is typically found, and it is most often seen alone or in twos.[3] Young fish gather in big groups, especially on deeper parts of the reef where coral cover is sparse.[3]

Spawning in this species involves monogamous pairs, and the fish reproduces by laying eggs.[3]

What the specialist sources record

The liveaquaria.com account states the Red Sea Bannerfish is exclusive to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.[5] The Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean account gives a snout length of 33-40% of head length and a complete lateral line with 40-60 scales.[6] That same source describes the body as round and strongly compressed, with a small pointed knob over each eye in adults.[6] The liveaquaria.com account notes that Heniochus are largely plankton eaters in the wild.[5]

GBIF holds 1,711 occurrence records for this taxon as of 7 October 2026.[7]

References

  1. World Register of Marine Species, Heniochus intermedius (AphiaID 218767). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Red Sea bannerfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Heniochus intermedius Steindachner, 1893", Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, 2020; "Red Sea bannerfish", liveaquaria.com; "Species: Heniochus intermedius, Red sea bannerfish", Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Red Sea bannerfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rocha, L.A., "Heniochus intermedius", 2010; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Red Sea bannerfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rocha, L.A., "Heniochus intermedius", 2010; "Heniochus intermedius Steindachner, 1893", Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, 2020; Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Heniochus intermedius). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes; "First Record of Red Sea Bannerfish (Heniochus intermedius Steindachner, 1893) From The Mediterranean Sea", Israel Journal of Zoology, 2003, p. 324–325 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Red Sea bannerfish", liveaquaria.com. facts only, no text reused. liveaquaria.com
  6. "Species: Heniochus intermedius, Red sea bannerfish", Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system. facts only, no text reused. biogeodb.stri.si.edu
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Heniochus intermedius (taxon key 2385717). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Red Sea bannerfish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Chaetodontidae)

Banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatusBlack butterflyfish Chaetodon flavirostrisBlackback butterflyfish Chaetodon melannotusBlacktail butterflyfish Chaetodon austriacusBluecheek butterflyfish Chaetodon semilarvatus

More in Butterflyfish

Schooling bannerfishHeniochus singulariusHeniochus variusPrognathodes aculeatusBank butterflyfishPrognathodes dichrousChaetodontidaeJohnrandalliaParachaetodonPrognathodesChaetodonChaetodon argentatus

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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