Peacock Razorfish

Iniistius pavo

TP: light greyish-blue with small, black back flecks.
Juvenile imitate drifting seaweed or dead leaves with their undulations. They are often observed in shallows. Usually not so shy as the adults.

Size : 40 cm

Habitat : Near the reef, free sand surfaces in lagoons and at outreefs, 2-100 m. Adults usually below 20 m depth, alone or in loose groups. Feeds on hardshell invertebrates, such as shelled snails and crustaceans. Very shy, dives quickly into the sand when disturbed.

Distribution : Red Sea and East Africa to S Japan, Hawaii, Mexico and French Polynesia.

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Actinopterygii

ORDER

:

Perciformes

FAMILY

:

Labridae

GENUS

:

Iniistius

SPECIES

:

Iniistius pavo

Other Information

Population Status

Least Concern (LC)

PHOTO COLLECTION

Reference

  1. inaturalist.org
  2. Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific. Book by Matthias Bergbauer and Manuela Kirschner