| Family: |
Centriscidae (Snipefishes and shrimpfishes), subfamily: Centriscinae |
| Max. size: |
15 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 42 m |
| Distribution: |
Indo-West Pacific: Tanzania (Ref. 51015) and Seychelles (Ref. 1623); then from southern Japan to New South Wales, Australia eastward to Vanuatu. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 3-3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-10; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 12-12. Recognized by hinged part of dorsal fin spine. Variable in color with habitat. Greenish-yellow with diffused stripe when in seagrass environment. Pale with black stripe when found on open substrate with white sand or rubble (Ref. 48635).
Description: Characterized by extremely thin or flattened and nearly transparent body; snout through eye, to base of caudal fin with dark brown to blackish stripe; horizontal first dorsal spine, projecting beyond tail tip, posterior part with movable segment; striated interorbital without groove (Ref. 90102). |
| Biology: |
Form schools among the spines of Diadema or staghorn corals, and feed on minute crustaceans in the zooplankton. Remarkable for their strange body shape and swimming habit: the body is encased in an armor of thin, transparent plates; they swim in synchronized groups, each fish in a vertical position with the snout pointing downwards. |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 03 November 2015 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.
