by Stan & Debbie Hauter
Photo use courtesy Flying Fish Express
Butterfly Fish Index
Common Name: Pyramid Butterfly
Banded Butterfly
Hawaiian Name: Unknown
Scientific Name: Hemitaurichthys polylepis or
Hemitaurichthys zoster
Source Info: Fishes of Hawaii
by Spencer Wilkie Tinker
This fish us easily recognized by its color pattern. It has a bright white pyramid shape in the middle of the body, outlined by a bright yellow color. The head is a darker golden yellow color, and as this picture shows, when excited the color of the head can change to a very dark, almost black color. The pectoral and anal fins are white. The tail is also white, with some tinges of black. The scales on this fish are very noticeable with the white pyramid area having almost a pearlescent appearance.In the scientific names, polylepis in Greek means "many scales" and zoster means "band or girdle". You can see how these fish got their names.
This fish is found in deeper water near the outside of the reef. One particular diving spot where we find them is at 90 feet. Since we do not like to collect fish in deep waters, it is a rare occasion when we get them. Because of the deep depths these fish are found at, they are very difficult to decompress.
They like to school together up off the bottom of the coral about 15-20 feet. It is a beautiful sight to swim up on a group of them as they are hovering, bobbing up and down in open water. As you get close to them they will start moving down towards the bottom. When they feel you have gotten too close, they head for the coral and hide. It is interesting that being a communal fish they do not get along well together in a enclosed area. We have found when collecting them that they have a tendency to fight, so we only put two of them in a 55 gallon aquarium at a time. The more room they have, the better.
Adult specimens will reach an average length of about five to seven inches.
Like a lot of fish in The Butterfly Fish Family they are coral pickers, but are also omnivores (eating other plant and smaller marine crustaceans). When in the juvenile stage they are easier to get to adjust to tank life and will eat tank fed foods like shrimp and nori. As adults, sometimes it can be difficult to get them to eat.
Our Fish Care Rating Level
Juvenile Specimens
Adult Specimens
