Forceps Fish, Forcipiger flavissimus Jordan & McGregor, 1898

Scientific name: Forcipiger flavissimus
Alternative name/s:
Longnosed Butterflyfish
Forceps Fish, Forcipiger flavissimus Click to enlarge image
A Forceps Fish at a depth of 25m, Great Detached Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 2001. Image: Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Forcipiger
    Species
    flavissimus
    Family
    Chaetodontidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 22 cm in length.

Introduction

The Forceps Fish has a very long snout and a black spot on the anal fin. The species has a very wide distribution in tropical and some temperate waters.

Identification

The Forceps Fish has a very long snout and an operculum with a curved margin. The similar looking Longnose Butterflyfish, Forcipiger longirostris, has an even longer snout and an angular operculum.The head of the Forceps Fish is black above and silvery-white below. The body is bright yellow. There is a black spot on the anal fin close to the caudal peduncle.

Distribution

The species has a very wide distribution in tropical and some temperate waters from the Western Indian Ocean through to the Eastern Pacific. In Australia it is known from north-western Western Australia and from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland to northern New South Wales.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Feeding and diet

Food items include the tube feet of echinoderms, tentacles of polychaetes, hydroids and crustaceans.

Other behaviours and adaptations

It is usually seen in pairs but can also occur singly or in small groups.

References

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
  3. 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.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  5. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  6. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.