Phantom bannerfish
Heniochus pleurotaenia
Quick Facts
- Size:
- up to 18 cm
- Depth:
- 1–25 m
- Family:
- Chaetodontidae
- Type:
- Fish
- Activity:
- Diurnal
- Habitat:
- Indian Ocean; Pacific Ocean; Andaman Sea
- Conservation status:
- Least Concern (LC) — not threatened with extinction according to IUCN assessment
The phantom bannerfish (Heniochus pleurotaenia) is a marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae from the central Indo-Pacific. It lives in coral-rich lagoon and coastal reef areas, where it is seen in pairs or groups.
In Indonesia they are usually seen in pairs in coastal waters, while in more offshore areas they may form groups, and in some places such as the Maldives they can be seen in very large schools. Phantom bannerfish occur at various depths and often live on shallow reef crests exposed to surge. They prefer mixed algal and coral habitat down to 25 metres but are also found in deeper coastal waters.
This is an egg-laying species that forms pairs during breeding.