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Pennant Bannerfish
Heniochus chrysostomus (Cuvier, 1831)
A Pennant Bannerfish at a depth of 15m, Rapid Horn, Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, December 2000. View larger image.
The Pennant Bannerfish can be recognised by its colouration. It is white with a black band crossing the head and extending through the ventral fins. Two brown bands cross the body. The snout is yellow (chryso [Greek] - gold, stoma [Greek] - mouth).
The fourth dorsal fin spine supports an expanded pennant.
This species grows to 18cm in length.
The Pennant Bannerfish eats mainly coral polyps.
It is known from the western and southern Pacific. In Australia it is recorded from the central coast of Western Australia around the tropical north (except the Gulf of Carpentaria) and south to southern Queensland.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
View a low resolution movie clip (56k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Brown, R.W. 1956. Composition of Scientific Words. R. W. Brown. Pp. 882.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
