Pyramid butterflyfish

Yellow pyramid butterflyfish ( Hemitaurichthys polylepis )

The Yellow pyramid butterflyfish ( Hemitaurichthys polylepis ) is a representative of butterfly fish ( Chaetodontidae ). He is 18 inches long and has 60 to 65 scales in a longitudinal direction, compared with other butterfly fish, only small number of scales.

Fins formula: Dorsal XII/23-26, Anal III/19-21

Dissemination

He lives in the Pacific from southern Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines to Hawaii. To the south it goes to New Caledonia and Pitcairn. In Australia, it occurs only on the Great Barrier Reef. In the Indian Ocean, he lives in Christmas Island. In the rest of the Indian Ocean it is replaced by the Black pyramid butterflyfish ( Hemitaurichthys zoster). The distribution areas of the two species do not overlap. Yellow Pyramid Butterfly fish prefer steep slopes of reefs far the coasts. There they live in flocks in shallow depths 5-25 meters and feed on zooplankton.