Horned bannerfish (Heniochus varius)When choosing fish species for our marine aquariums, bright coloration is often a highly sought-after characteristic. But there’s also something to be said for species with more subdued coloration that just happen to have really interesting morphology. One such species that comes to mind is Heniochus varius, the horned bannerfish, aka the humphead or brown bannerfish. Physical traitsActually, “bannerfish” doesn’t provide a very apt description of H. varius, since adults of the species lack the elongated dorsal filament, or banner, exhibited by many other Heniochus species. Juveniles do have the filament, but it more or less extends straight up, instead of trailing behind the fish, and is lost as the fish matures. Note the hump and hornsH.
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