Saddle butterflyfish

Distributed widely in the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to Hawaii. In Japan, from Chiba Prefecture southwards.  Body length is 20cm. Their characteristics are a long and extending filament on top of its dorsal fin, the coloring on its snout dips in front of the eyes, and it has a large black spot (the saddle) on its back. While a juvenile it has a black colored stripe over its eyes that is thought to camouflage the eye. They live in coastal rocky shores and coral reefs and have been observed to feed on algae on seaweed and rocks. Although they do not target coral polyps, this species will actively remove the seaweeds and sea anemones in the tank.