Pyramid Butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis)While many of the butterflyfishes are challenging—if not outright impossible—to maintain in captivity for one reason or another, there are various species that go against the grain and make excellent or reasonably solid aquarium candidates. Among the “reasonably solid” species is the pyramid butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis)—a generally hardy, adaptable, not-too-difficult-to-feed, and beautiful chaetodontid from the Indo-Pacific. I wouldn’t rate this species foolproof by any means, but it’s fairly durable as butterflyfishes go. Physical traitsH. polylepis is highly laterally compressed (flattened from side to side—typical of butterflies) with a relatively short snout and small, terminal mouth. Its head is brownish in color, and it has a broad, white pyramid-shaped pattern on its flanks, from which its common name is derived.
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