A long thin fish that hangs vertically among gorgonians, and shadows larger fish to get close to its prey. It occurs in brown, blue-grey and bright yellow forms.
To about 100 cm, common at 60. Long and compressed side to side rather than flattened, with a tubular snout, a small barbel on the chin, and a normal rounded tail with no filament — which is the separation from the cornetfish. It occurs in brown, reddish and a distinct bright yellow phase.
The behaviour is the identification aid. It hangs vertically, head down, among gorgonians and branching coral, which is how most people first spot one. And it shadow-stalks: it swims pressed alongside a larger herbivore such as a parrotfish, using it as cover to get within striking range of small fish.
Two to twenty-five metres on reef and weedy ground.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.