Vanikoro Sweeper

The Vanikoro sweeper is a small, schooling reef fish with a greenish sheen that spends its days packed into caves and ledges. At night it scatters upward through the water to feed.

Also known as: greenback bullseye

It is easily confused with other sweepers in the same family. Look at the pectoral fins: this species has plain yellow ones with no dark markings, unlike many similar sweepers.

The body is flattened side to side and deepest near the front of the dorsal fin, then tapers sharply toward a narrow tail base, mostly along the belly line. The back and head carry a greenish sheen. The anal fin has a clear black edge, the tip of the dorsal fin is black, and the pectoral fins are plain yellow with no dark markings.

This fish lives in shallow, tropical and subtropical parts of the Indo-Pacific, mostly on coral reefs and in sheltered rocky areas.

Vanikoro sweepers gather in schools around sheltered reefs, hiding under ledges, in caves, and inside harbours and shipwrecks during the day. At night they spread out and rise higher in the water to feed on zooplankton.

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  Bigscale Bullseye

  Pempheris multiradiata

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  Blacktip Bullseye

  Pempheris affinis

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  Crescent-tail Bigeye

  Priacanthus hamrur

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  Short Bigeye

  Pristigenys alta