Moorish Idol
Encyclopedia
The moorish idol, Zanclus cornutus ("Crowned Scythe"), is a small marine fish
species
, the sole
extant representative of the family
Zanclidae (from the Greek
zagkios, "oblique") in order
Perciform. A common inhabitant of tropical to subtropical reef
s and lagoon
s, the moorish idol is notable for its wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific
. A number of butterflyfish
es (genus
Heniochus
) closely resemble the moorish idol. It is closely related to, if not a direct descendant of the extinct Eozanclus
brevirhostris, from the Middle Eocene
of Monte Bolca
.
The moorish idol got its name from the Moors
of Africa
, who purportedly believe(d) the fish to be a bringer of happiness. Moorish idols are also popular aquarium
fish, but despite their popularity, they are notorious for short aquarium lifespans and sensitivity.
-shaped crest called the philomantis extension. Moorish idols have small terminal mouths at the end of long, tubular snouts; many long bristle-like teeth line the mouth.
The eyes are set high on the fish's deeply-keeled bodies; in adults, perceptible bumps are located above each. The anal fin may have 2 or 3 spines. Moorish idols reach a maximum length of 23 centimetres (9.1 in). The sickle-like dorsal spines shorten with age.
, Indian Ocean
and the Ducie Island
s; Hawaii
, southern Japan
and all of Micronesia
; they are also found from the southern Gulf of California
south to Peru
.
s, tunicate
s and other benthic invertebrate
s constitute the bulk of the moorish idol's diet in the wild. Captive moorish idols typically are very picky eaters. They will either eat nothing (common) and perish or eat everything (uncommon). Small portions of avocado
and banana
are sometimes fed in captivity.
fish, sticking to the bottom of the reef
at night, adopting a drab coloration. Like butterfly fish, they mate for life. Adult males display aggression toward one another.
spawners; that is, they release eggs and sperm in the water column, leaving fertilized eggs to drift away with the currents. The impressive range of these fish may be explained by the unusually long larva
l stage. The fish reach a length of 7.5 centimetres (3 in) before becoming free-swimming juveniles.
. They require large tanks, often exceeding 100 gallons (378.5 l), are voracious eaters, and can become destructive.
Some aquarists prefer to keep substitute species that look very similar to the Moorish Idol. These substitutes are all butterflyfishes of the genus Heniochus, and include the pennant coralfish
, H. acuminatus; threeband pennantfish, H. chrysostomus; and the false moorish idol, H. diphreutes.
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, the sole
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
extant representative of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Zanclidae (from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
zagkios, "oblique") in order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Perciform. A common inhabitant of tropical to subtropical reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s and lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s, the moorish idol is notable for its wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
. A number of butterflyfish
Butterflyfish
The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. Found mostly on the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, there are approximately 120 species in 10 genera...
es (genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Heniochus
Heniochus
Heniochus is a genus of fish in the family Chaetodontidae. The Moorish idol, Zanclus cornutus is similar in appearance but unrelated.-Species:* Pennant coralfish Heniochus acuminatus Linnaeus, 1758...
) closely resemble the moorish idol. It is closely related to, if not a direct descendant of the extinct Eozanclus
Eozanclus
Eozanclus is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived from the early to middle Eocene.-See also:* Prehistoric fish* List of prehistoric bony fish...
brevirhostris, from the Middle Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
of Monte Bolca
Monte Bolca
Monte Bolca is a lagerstätte near Verona, Italy that was one of the first fossil sites with high quality preservation known to Europeans, and is still an important source of fossils from the Eocene....
.
The moorish idol got its name from the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, who purportedly believe(d) the fish to be a bringer of happiness. Moorish idols are also popular aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
fish, but despite their popularity, they are notorious for short aquarium lifespans and sensitivity.
Physical description
With distinctively compressed and disk-like bodies, moorish idols stand out in contrasting bands of black, white and yellow which make them attractive to aquarium keepers. The fish have relatively small fins, except for the dorsal fin whose 6 or 7 spines are dramatically elongated to form a trailing, sickleSickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
-shaped crest called the philomantis extension. Moorish idols have small terminal mouths at the end of long, tubular snouts; many long bristle-like teeth line the mouth.
The eyes are set high on the fish's deeply-keeled bodies; in adults, perceptible bumps are located above each. The anal fin may have 2 or 3 spines. Moorish idols reach a maximum length of 23 centimetres (9.1 in). The sickle-like dorsal spines shorten with age.
Range and habitat
Generally denizens of shallow waters, moorish idols prefer flat reefs. The fish may be found at depths from 3 to 180 m (9.8 to 590.6 ), in both murky and clear conditions. The range of the moorish idol includes East AfricaEast Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and the Ducie Island
Ducie Island
Ducie Island is an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Islands. It lies east of Pitcairn and has a total area of , which includes the lagoon. It is long, measured northeast to southwest, and about wide. The island is composed of four islets: Acadia, Pandora, Westward and Edwards.Despite its...
s; Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, southern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and all of Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
; they are also found from the southern Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
south to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Feeding
SpongeSea sponge
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...
s, tunicate
Tunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
s and other benthic invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s constitute the bulk of the moorish idol's diet in the wild. Captive moorish idols typically are very picky eaters. They will either eat nothing (common) and perish or eat everything (uncommon). Small portions of avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
are sometimes fed in captivity.
Behavior
Often seen alone, Moorish idols also form pairs or occasionally small schools, especially as juveniles. They are diurnalDiurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
fish, sticking to the bottom of the reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
at night, adopting a drab coloration. Like butterfly fish, they mate for life. Adult males display aggression toward one another.
Reproduction
Moorish idols are pelagicPelagic zone
Any water in a sea or lake that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore can be said to be in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means "open sea". The pelagic zone can be thought of in terms of an imaginary cylinder or water column that goes...
spawners; that is, they release eggs and sperm in the water column, leaving fertilized eggs to drift away with the currents. The impressive range of these fish may be explained by the unusually long larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
l stage. The fish reach a length of 7.5 centimetres (3 in) before becoming free-swimming juveniles.
In aquaria
Moorish idols are notoriously difficult to maintain in captivityCaptivity (animal)
Animals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos...
. They require large tanks, often exceeding 100 gallons (378.5 l), are voracious eaters, and can become destructive.
Some aquarists prefer to keep substitute species that look very similar to the Moorish Idol. These substitutes are all butterflyfishes of the genus Heniochus, and include the pennant coralfish
Pennant coralfish
The pennant coralfish , also known as the longfin bannerfish or coachman is a tropical fish of the family Chaetodontidae. It is also known colloquially as the "poor man's moorish idol".-Appearance:...
, H. acuminatus; threeband pennantfish, H. chrysostomus; and the false moorish idol, H. diphreutes.
Cultural references
- In the 2003 PixarPixarPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
film Finding NemoFinding NemoFinding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
, a moorish idol named Gill (voiced by Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
) was one of Nemo's tank inhabitants. - Moorish Idols have long been among the most iconic of coral reefCoral reefCoral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
fauna. They have graced all types of underwater-themed products, such as shower curtains, blanketBlanketA blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...
s, towelTowelA towel is a piece of absorbent fabric or paper used for drying or wiping. It draws moisture through direct contact, often using a blotting or a rubbing motion. Common household textile towels are made from cotton, rayon, bamboo, nonwoven fibers or a few other materials.-Types of towels:* A bath...
s, and wallpaperWallpaperWallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
.