Range and Identity
The species ranges widely through the Indo-Pacific and into the eastern Pacific. Hawaiian and eastern Pacific populations have also been named as subspecies. The broad species name should remain connected to the locality when comparing patterns or measurements from different island groups.
Habitat and Behavior
Juveniles occur around rocky boulders, sometimes among long-spined sea urchins. Adults use reef crests and slopes in clear lagoons and seaward reefs. Fish are usually solitary, and males can swim more openly than females. A sheltered juvenile and an exposed adult can therefore represent different habitat use.
Food and Life History
Tunicates, worms, sponges, mollusks, copepods and algae are recorded foods. The maximum reference is twenty-five centimeters total length. That is an upper species reference, not a size expected of every fish seen on a reef. No maximum weight is calculated from its boxlike shape.
Field Note
Include the island and life stage with a photograph. Those details help interpret both the fish’s appearance and its position on the reef.
All Lakes With Pahu
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Pahu records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.