Family : Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)
Order : Perciformes  (perch-likes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Phantom bannerfish
Fish Name : Heniochus pleurotaenia
Max size : 17.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 9710)
Environment : reef-associated ; depth range 1 - 25 m
Climate : tropical
Global Importance : aquarium: commercial
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)Distribution : Indian Ocean: Maldives and Sri Lanka to Java, north to the Andaman Sea.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 10-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 23-25; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 17-18. Very similar to its Pacific sibling H. varius but has a pale area over the middle of the body. Juveniles have a short white banner (Ref. 48636).
Biology : Inhabit coral-rich areas of lagoon and seaward reef (Ref. 9710). Found in pairs or aggregations (Ref. 9710). In Indonesia usually seen in pairs in coastal waters. Offshore it may form schools and in the Maldives they occur in great numbers. Found at various depths, often on shallow reef crest with some surge. Usually in mixed algae and coral habitats to about 15 m depth, but may go offshore (Ref. 48636). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator :
Main Ref : Burgess, W.E.. 1978. (Ref. 4855)

India country information
Common Names : [ No common name ]
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses