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Pyramid Butterflyfish
Hemitaurichthys polylepis (Bleeker, 1857)

A Pyramid Butterflyfish at a depth of 26 m, Mantis Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, November 2001. View larger image.

Above and below: A Pyramid Butterflyfish at a depth of 18 m, Tuvarua Wall, off Namotu Island, Outer Barrier Reef, Fiji, April 2003. View larger image.

The Pyramid Butterflyfish can be recognised by its colouration. It has a brown to black head. The dorsal and anal fins are yellow. There is a large white pyramid-shaped area on the side of the body. The caudal fin is white.

This species grows to 18 cm in length.

The Pyramid Butterflyfish is usually seen in depths between 3 m and 60 m in outer reef areas close to drop-offs. It often forms large shoals containing hundreds of individuals all swimming high in the water column feeding on plankton.

This species occurs in tropical marine waters of the Eastern Indian Ocean and Western and Central Pacific, from South-east Asia, Christmas Island and Coco-Keeling Atoll, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to the Hawaiian and Pitcairn Islands.

In Australia it is known from the north-western coast of Western Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland and northern New South Wales.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

Further reading

1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 220.
2. Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
3. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
4. Kuiter, R.H. 2002. Butterflyfishes. Bannerfishes and their relatives. A Comprehensive Guide to Chaetodontidae & Microcanthidae. TMC Publishing. Pp. 208.
5. Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
6. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 251.