''Heniochus singularius'', the singular bannerfish, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

, a

butterflyfish The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical ocean, marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the ...

from the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Chaetodontidae. It is found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region.

Description

''Heniochus singularius'' adults and juveniles are rather different in appearance, the juveniles have the 4th spine of the spiny part of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

elongated to form a white banner and this makes its triangular shape more obvious. The adults have a less lengthy banner, giving them a fuller shape which more closely resembles the typical butterflyfish shape. The colour pattern on the body starts with a white band encircling the mouth, then there are a number of black bands. These include an eye stripe which runs from above the eye to the chin. Following the eye stripe there is a band in the middle of the body to the front of the

. The final black band runs diagonally from the start of the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin to the rear of the

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

. The soft rayed part of the dorsal fin and the

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

are bright canary yellow. In the adults the body between the black bands has a fine

reticulated Reticulation is a net-like pattern, arrangement, or structure. Reticulation or Reticulated may refer to: * Reticulation (single-access key), a structure of an identification tree, where there are several possible routes to a correct identificat ...

pattern. There is a bony bump on the head. The dorsal fin contains 11-12 spines and 25-27 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17-18 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of and is the largest species of the genus ''Heniochus''.

Distribution

''Heniochus singularius'' has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution which extends from the central Indian Ocean around the Maldives and the

Chagos Islands The Chagos Archipelago (, ) or Chagos Islands (formerly , and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands is the southernmo ...

east to Samoa. The range extends north to southern Japan and south to northern Australia. In Australia it is found from

Shark Bay Shark Bay () is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The area is located approximately north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent. UNESCO's listing of Shark Bay as a World Heritage S ...

to the

Dampier Archipelago The Dampier Archipelago is a group of 42 islands near the town of Dampier, Western Australia, Dampier in Pilbara, Western Australia. The archipelago is also made up of reefs, shoals, channels and straits and is the traditional home of five Ab ...

and the offshore reefs of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, and along the northern

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

south as far as

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

; it also occurs at

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...

Habitat and biology

''Heniochus singularius'' is found along coastal, inner and outer reef slopes. It shows a preference for areas with plentiful coral growth and varied topography. The juveniles are normally found in shallow lagoons, but may also be found in deeper water in the vicinity of caves and rock shelters. They feed on coral polyps, possibly including live coral, benthic invertebrates and algae. They are oviparous and form pairs to breed.

Taxonomy

''Heniochus singularius'' was first formally described in 1911 by the American zoologists Hugh McCormick Smith and Lewis Radcliffe with the type locality given as

Alibijaban Alibijaban, also spelled Alibihaban, is an island barangay located in the Ragay Gulf off the southeastern coast of Bondoc Peninsula on the Philippines, Philippine island of Luzon. With a recorded population of 1,738 inhabitants in 2020, Alibijaba ...

Ragay Gulf Ragay Gulf is a large gulf in the Bicol Peninsula in Luzon, part of the Sibuyan Sea. It is separated from Tayabas Bay by the Bondoc Peninsula in the west. The gulf covers the provinces of Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ...

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

in the Philippines.

Utilisation

''Heniochus singularius'' is uncommon in the wild and is also uncommon in the aquarium trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q2161695 singularis Fish described in 1911 Taxa named by Hugh McCormick Smith Taxa named by Lewis Radcliffe