Longnose Butterflyfish

Forcipiger longirostris

Bislamabataflaefis— names this kind of animal, not this species alone

uncommonblackwhiteyellowsmallreef

Habitat: Reef
Max size: 22 cm
Depth: 0-200 m
Family: Chaetodontidae

Forcipiger longirostris, commonly known as the longnose butterflyfish or big longnose butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish found on coral reefs throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Even with its distinctive, point-like long nose, the longnose butterflyfish still can easily be confused with its more common cousin F. flavissimus. Both species may be kept in aquariums.

Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side, with what tells them apart.

Both are yellow with a black triangle over the head and a long, forceps-like snout. Longnose Butterflyfish has an even longer snout and rows of small black spots on the breast; Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish has no breast spots and a more curved gill cover. Only the Longnose is ever seen in an all-brown or all-black form.

See the Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish →

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