Fish
Honeycomb Filefish
Cantherhines pardalis
A small, rough-skinned reef fish patterned with a honeycomb of pale netting, common on warm KZN coral reefs.
Also known as file fish, honeycomb leatherjacket, wire netting leatherjacket, wire-netting filefish
- Typical size
- Commonly 15-20 cm, up to about 25 cm
- Habitat
- Coral and rocky reefs
- Depth
- Shallows to about 30 m
The honeycomb or wire-netting filefish has a deep, compressed, leathery body covered in fine rough scales, and a tall first dorsal spine that it can lock upright. Its brownish body is overlaid with a network of pale lines forming a honeycomb pattern, usually with a light blotch near the tail base.
A solitary, slow-swimming fish, it drifts close to coral and rocky reef in northern KwaZulu-Natal, nibbling algae, sponges, hydroids and small invertebrates. When threatened it wedges into crevices using its erect dorsal spine. It is harmless and easily approached by divers.