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]

External links

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.


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