Johnrandallia nigrirostris, (Gill, 1862)
The blacknosed butterflyfish or barberfish (Johnrandallia nigrirostris) (from the Spanish names, El Barbero or Mariposa Barbero, "the barber" or "butterfly barber"), is a species of fish in the family Chaetodontidae, the butterfly fishes. It is found in the East Pacific, specifically around the Galápagos Islands and in the Sea of Cortez, and it sometimes acts as a cleaner fish. It is the only member of the genus Johnrandallia, named after the ichthyologist John E. Randall, but in the past it was commonly placed in Chaetodon.
This species has a silvery-yellow, compressed body, and grows to 20.3 centimetres (8.0 in). It is marked with black bands along the base of its dorsal fin, and on its snout and forehead. It has a small protractile mouth with a black, burglar-like mask around its eyes. Johnrandallia nigrirostris has brush-like teeth.
It is superficially similar to Prognathodes carlhubbsi and P. falcifer, which also are native to the East Pacific.
Johnrandallia nigrirostris is found in the Eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to Panama, including the Cocos Island, Malpelo Island and the Galápagos Islands.
Johnrandallia nigrirostris aggregates in small groups. It is highly active during the day, during which time it feeds. At night, it shelters near to the reef's surface. This species is a kind of cleaner fish. It will remain at cleaning stations where infested fishes come to have various crustaceans and other ectoparasites removed.
No dive sites list Black-Nosed Butterflyfish yet. Explore the map to find sites near you.