Blotcheye soldierfish
(Myripristis berndti)
Image source: Jo's Animal Database
General data
The species grows to a length of 30 centimetres (12 in) TL.
The body is oval and laterally compressed, and the scales are quite large. The basic colour is silvery pink to pale yellowish, with red scale margins. The opercular membrane is black. The dorsal fin is large and spiny, ranging from yellow to orange-yellow, and the other fins are red with white edges. The eyes are large, because the species is mainly nocturnal.
The lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper jaw when mouth is closed. They usually aggregate in mixed-species and mainly feed on plankton.
Distribution: Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific: East Africa south to Natal, South Africa (but not from the Red Sea) and east to the Clipperton, Cocos and Galapagos islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to the Great Barrier Reef, Norfolk Island, and Lord Howe Island. Throughout Micronesia and common throughout Oceania, being clearly absent only from Easter Island.
