Mimic Filefish

Paraluteres prionurus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Monacanthidae
Genus: Paraluteres
Species: Paraluteres prionurus

The mimic filefish (Paraluteres prionurus) copies the toxic black-saddled pufferfish to avoid being eaten. Its white body with dark saddles and a yellow tail is almost identical to its model.

It grows to about 10 cm. Long dorsal and anal fins and a small dorsal spine reveal that it is a filefish rather than a puffer.

In the Philippines it is found on reefs, often near the pufferfish it imitates.

Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist