Lyretail Hogfish (Bodianus anthioides): Breeding Notes

Bodianus anthioides is an Indo-Pacific hogfish whose juveniles mimic cleaner fish. It forms pairs to spawn pelagic eggs in open water and is not bred in home aquaria.

Overview

Bodianus anthioides, the lyretail hogfish, grows to about 25 cm and ranges across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to the Tuamotu islands. Wikipedia notes adults favour the seaward edges of reefs, in Micronesia commonest below 25 metres, feeding on echinoderms, molluscs, crustaceans and small fish. Its lyre-shaped tail and anthias-like profile are distinctive.

Sexing

Like other hogfishes it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, maturing first as female before dominant fish become terminal males. Juveniles mimic cleaner fish, a developmental trait, while sex itself cannot be read reliably from external appearance in the aquarium.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Wikipedia notes the species forms pairs for spawning. A pair rises from the reef edge into open water to release gametes, which scatter as pelagic eggs. Reproducing this ascent and broadcast in a closed system is not practical, and captive spawning is undocumented.

Egg & Fry Care

The pelagic eggs drift into the plankton, where larvae develop before settling. There is no documented home method for rearing the larvae, so aquarium specimens are wild-collected.

Common Challenges

Adult size, an invertebrate-eating diet, protogynous biology and open-water pelagic spawning are the main barriers. Establishing a stable pair is difficult, and the planktonic larvae lie beyond the reach of standard home aquarium culture.