One look at the long snout of these fish and It isn’t surprising that this genus’ scientific name translates to “bearing forceps”. Even more extreme in body form than the Chelmon genus, these fish are similarly specilised feeders, in this case preying on items such as small crustaceans, polychaete tentacles and the tube feet of echinoderms. Widely distributed across the Indo Pacific, they favour seaward reef environments and can occur in deep water. They are unfortunately prone to collection and shipping damage, and often starve before adapting to prepared foods. They can not be classed as ‘reef safe’ as they may pick on a wide range of sessile and mobile invertebrates in a reef aquarium.
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