Chaetodontidae

barberfish

Johnrandallia nigrirostris

Cleaning other fish on reefs

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Pacific Ocean
• Central America and the Caribbean
• Deep-bodied
• Compressed cross-section
• Medium
• Tropical fish

The barberfish presents a yellow, flattened oval body beneath a pale head crossed by dark markings. Look for black across the eye and snout, together with a dark band following the base of the dorsal fin. Its small mouth sits at the tip of a short pointed snout; the tail has a straight rear edge, unlike the rounded outlines of the dorsal and anal fins. This eastern Pacific butterflyfish occurs from Baja California and the Gulf of California south to Peru, including offshore islands. Reefs support gatherings that can range from a few individuals to large aggregations. Smithsonian's regional account records a maximum length of 20 centimetres and a depth range of 5 to 50 metres. These figures describe recorded limits, not the size or depth every observer should expect.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI — Johnrandallia nigrirostris