Colours

Distinguishing features

A medium sized fish with grey upperparts and white below. Two distinct dark lines curve from behind the eye to the start of the soft dorsal fin, and there are threee yellow lines on the head. The juvenile is dark above, pale below with 2 yellow lines running along the upper back.

Size

Depth range

Synonyms

Distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Areas of rich coral growth with nearby areas of sand and rubble for feeding.

Can be found in most locations around the island.

Behaviour

The Two-line Monocle Bream feeds at night time on invertebrates in the sand and rubble borders around coral reefs, and consequently picks up high loads of ectoparasites. During the day it rests over the reef without much activity, frequently being cleaned by the Common Cleanerfish. The fish has a similar feeding habit to the Emperors, in that it forages in a jerky, stop-start manner, moving for short distances, stopping and observing the bottom, and then taking a rapid bite. Ingested sand is filtered out through the gills. These fishes are protogynous hermaphrodites, starting life as females and then switching to males at larger sizes. They mature at about 1 year old and live for about 5 years. The small juveniles mimic the toxic fangblennies in the genus Meiacanthus.

Web resources

References