About Heniochus chrysostomus Cuvier, 1831
Heniochus chrysostomus is a small fish that reaches a maximum length of 18 centimeters. Its body is strongly flattened laterally, with a base white body color marked by three broad oblique brown bands. The first dark brown band extends from the forehead down to the ventral fins, the second runs from the dorsal fin to the anal fin, and the third lies adjacent to the dorsal fin. The first rays of the dorsal fin are elongated, and take on the appearance of a black and white feather. The head has a short snout and a small protractile mouth. This bannerfish has a distinct yellow color pattern covering the mouth, the top of the snout, and the area between its eyes. The posterior section of the dorsal fin, the caudal fin, and the pectoral fins are orange-yellow. Juvenile individuals have an ocellus — a black spot outlined by an orange-yellow ring — on the lower part of the anal fin.
Heniochus chrysostomus is widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific, ranging from India’s western coast to Polynesia, and from southern Japan to New Caledonia. It typically lives in coral-rich areas of reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs, at depths between 2 and 40 meters (6 feet 7 inches to 131 feet 3 inches). Juveniles are most commonly found in lagoons and estuaries.
