About Trichonotus elegans Shimada & Yoshino, 1984
Trichonotus elegans, commonly known as the long-rayed sand-diver, is a species of marine perciform fish. It is distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific. This species lives on coastal reef slopes and in deep outer reef lagoons, where channels generate currents. Its preferred habitat consists of substrates made of sand and coral rubble. It is a sociable species that forms large groups which include multiple larger males, and it is typically observed resting motionless in the water column above sandy slopes. Its typical social groups are made up of a single male and a harem of approximately twelve females. All species belonging to the genus Trichonotus are protogynous hermaphrodites. When the current is slack, these fish are usually buried.
