Two-eyed Coralfish

Coradion melanopus is a species of marine fish in the family Chaetodontidae.

Description

The Twospot coralfish is a small size fish and can reach a maximum size of 15 cm length. It looks very similar to C. muelleri and a bit like the more well-known C. rostratus. Their base colour is white with 4 vertical bands that are brownish in the dorsal fin and more rusty brown on the body till black in the pelvic fins. The last band looks like two orange stripes with a greyish stripe in the middle. They've a black spot in the beginning of the dorsal fin and a brown or black stripe at the caudal fin base. But the easiest way to tell them apart from the other Coradion species is that they've two eye-spots. One in the back of the dorsal fin and one in the anal fin.

Distribution

The Twospot coralfish is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the centralIndo-Pacific region, from Indonesia to the Philippines.

Habitat

Coradion melanopus is an extremely wary fish found in sheltered lagoons or exposed outer reefs; to a depth greater than 30 m. More common along drop-offs in the vicinity of sponges . It feeds mainly as all kinds of this species on sponges.