Colours
Distinguishing features
A medium to large elongate fish with a silvery blue body and forked tail. A gold line runs from behind the eye, above the lateral line, to the tail. There are dark lines in each lobe of the tail, but no black tips. Usually seen in schools feeding mid-water above areas of good coral growth.
Size
- Up to 35 cm (Standard length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Feeds in the water column some 5-15m from the edge of the reef margin, favours areas with good water movement. Smaller fish are found in more sheltered areas with the large adults mainly along the exposed reef fronts.
Found in most reef habitats around the island.
Behaviour
This species is planktivorous, gathering into schools to feed on tiny crustacean zooplankton in the water column. The small juveniles aggregate with schools of yellow-tailed demoiselles, but then move into monospecific schools of their own species once they gain size. They are mature at 1 year of age and live to about 5 years.
Web resources
References
- Ablan, C.M.A.A. (2006). Microsatellite loci for studies on population differentiation and connectivity of the red-bellied yellow tail fusilier, Caesio cuning (Caesionidae), Molecular Ecology Notes, 6: 170-172. LIRS catalog number 90031.
- Carpenter, K.E. (1990). A phylogenetic analysis of the Caesionidae (Perciformes: Lutjanoidea), Copeia, 1990: 692-717. LIRS catalog number 90032.
- Grutter, A.S. (1997). Effect of the removal of cleaner fish on the abundance and species composition of reef fish, Oecologia, 111: 137-143. LIRS catalog number 504.
- View all references