Axilspot Hogfish

Q: Where can you find Axilspot Hogfish?

Axilspot Hogfish can be found in: Egypt East, Laccadive Islands, Mariana Islands, Australia West, Saudi Arabia West, Malaysia East, Taiwan, Australia North, Marshall Islands, Malaysia West, Somalia East, Vanuatu, Sudan, Brunei, China, Eritrea, Australia, Hong Kong, Kenya, India, Israel, Japan South, India West, Thailand East, Thailand West, Israel South, Oman, Somalia North, Australia East, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Vietnam, Seychelles, Cambodia, Indo-Pacific, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, Polynesia, Singapore, Tanzania, Malaysia, South Africa, Red Sea, Japan, Indonesia, Chagos Islands, Mozambique, Jordan, Palau, Philippines, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Micronesia, Egypt, Tonga and Samoa, Yemen, Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, Kiribati, Djibouti, Comoros, Fiji, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Somalia.

Bodianus axillaris

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Max Weight

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Max Depth

100 m

The axilspot hogfish, Bodianus axillaris, is a species of wrasse native to the Indo-Pacific.

Description

Adult fish are about 20 cm long. Males are red-brown anteriorly, and white posteriorly. They have large, dark spots on their pectoral fin bases, soft dorsal fins, and anal fins. Juveniles and females are black with a few large, white patches. Juvenile act as cleaner fishes by picking parasites from other fishes.

This oviparous species mainly feeds on mollusks and crustaceans and other benthic hard-shell invertebrates. It is also an aquarium fish.

Distribution

This species is mainly found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa, Marshall Islands, Marquesan, and Tuamoto Islands, north to Japan.

Habitat

B. axillaris is a reef-associated species. It usually can be found in lagoons and seaward reefs, in caves or under ledges at depths between 2 and 100 m.