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Wimplefish
Information resourced and
researched from
"Tropical Marine Aquaria"
by Graham.F.Cox.
Published by Treasure Press
© The Hamlyn Publishing Group
This butterfly fish is very unlike the other members of the family, with lengthened rays of the dorsal fin and a generally high body. It is strikingly adorned with black stripes on a silver background. Wimplefishes seldom present any difficulties with regard to feeding. They readily accept all foods, including dried flake offerings and freeze-dried products.
Although there are several species within this genus, for example H.permutatus, H,singularis, H.cornutus, the Wimplefish is the commonest, cheapest, hardiest and, in my opinion, the prettiest member of the genus. An extremely successful reef fish, it is widespread in distribution from the reefs of tropical East Africa, through to the far eastern atolls of the Central Pacific and shows remarkably little variation throughout its range.
When juvenile, like some other members of the family Chaetodtidae, Wimplfishes willoften be seen swimming up to other much larger fishes, and starting to peck away at their flanks, heads, fins and gills. It is presumed that these juveniles are fulfilling the same function as the Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) in ridding the larger fishes of troublesome ectoparasites. As a result of a certain similarity in external appearances, the Wimplefish is sometimes mistaken for the Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus), although the two fishes are not at all closely related.
