Dianas Hogfish- Facts and Photographs

The Diana’s hogfish (Bodianus Diana) are the most common of the Bodianus family in Tanzanian waters. As with all the members of this family there is considerable divergence in looks between the juveniles and the adults.

APPEARANCE

The juvenile Dianas Hogfish has a dark brown background color. There are prominent black spots on the mid caudal area, rear dorsal and anal fins and on the front of the dorsal fin. Rows of horizontal small white spots cover the body from head to tail and there is a row of larger white spots across the top of the body. The eye is ringed in red.

As the fish matures so the body color lightens and all but the top row of spots disappears. The head becomes a red brown color and the main part of the body becomes a light orange color. A small black spot develops on the caudal fin and there are tinges of red on the anal and rear of the dorsal fin. They grow up to 17 cm in length.

DIANAS HOGFISH IN THE WILD

The juvenile Dianas Hogfish is fairly reclusive and is almost always found close to cover or under an overhang or in a cave. They are found on coral rich areas of the reef from 12 meters downwards. The adults particularly when they are larger move across the reef areas more openly and sometimes will even swim a meter or so above the bottom. The adults are usually found from 10 meters to at least 25 meters.

HABITAT

The Dianas Hogfish is found across the Indian Ocean from East Africa across to the Nicobars and Cocos-Keeling Islands.

DIET

The Dianas Hogfish feed on small crustaceans and mollusks and usually feed individually. The young have been seen acting as cleaners but we have never personally seen this behavior.

REPRODUCTION

Little seems known of their mating habits , they are oviviparous and distinct pairing takes place. Given that there appear to be more females around than males, it is probable that some type of haremic structure exists.

AQUARIUMS

Dianas Hogfish are kept in aquariums but may become territorial and aggressive towards similar sized fish and because of this are not commonly kept. They require good hiding places and plenty of water to swim in. A larger tank is therefore a prerequisite. They may also take some time to acclimatize into a tank.