Johnrandallia facts for kids
The blacknosed butterflyfish or barberfish (Johnrandallia nigrirostris) is a cool type of fish. Its Spanish names, El Barbero or Mariposa Barbero, mean "the barber" or "butterfly barber." This fish belongs to the Chaetodontidae family, which are known as butterflyfishes. You can find it in the East Pacific, especially around the amazing Galápagos Islands and in the Sea of Cortez. What's really neat is that it sometimes acts like a "cleaner fish"! This fish is the only member of its group, called Johnrandallia. This group was named after a fish expert, John Ernest Randall.
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What Does It Look Like?
This fish has a shiny, silvery-yellow body that looks a bit flat. It can grow up to about 20.3 centimetres (8.0 in) long. You can spot it by the black stripes on its back fin, snout, and forehead. It has a small mouth that can stick out. Around its eyes, it has a black mark that looks like a "burglar's mask"! The Johnrandallia nigrirostris also has teeth that look like a brush.
Where Does It Live?
The blacknosed butterflyfish lives in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. You can find it from the Gulf of California all the way down to Panama. It also lives around special islands like Cocos Island, Malpelo Island, and the famous Galápagos Islands. Sometimes, it has even been seen near Peru.
Its Home in the Ocean
This fish makes its home in the ocean at different depths. It can live close to the water's surface or go as deep as 40 metres (130 ft). It loves to hang out around coral reefs and rocky places in the sea.
How It Behaves
Blacknosed butterflyfish often swim together in small groups. They are very busy during the day, which is when they look for food. When night comes, they find a safe spot to rest near the reef's surface. A really cool thing about this fish is that it's a type of cleaner fish. It will stay at special "cleaning stations." Other fish that have tiny crustaceans or other ectoparasites (small creatures living on their skin) will come to these stations. The blacknosed butterflyfish then helps them by carefully removing these unwanted guests!
What Does It Eat?
This fish has a varied diet. It enjoys munching on small crustaceans, which are like tiny sea bugs. It also eats molluscs, which include creatures like snails or clams. And, it feeds on algae, which are like sea plants.
Naming the Fish
The blacknosed butterflyfish was first officially described in 1862. An American fish expert named Theodore Nicholas Gill gave it the name Sarothrodus nigrirostris. He found it near Cape San Lucas in Baja California. Later, in 1974, a Romanian fish expert named Teodor T. Nalbant placed this fish into its own special group, or genus, called Johnrandallia. He named this group to honor another American fish expert, John E. Randall.
