#2264 · 🐟 fish
Moorish Idol
🇳🇱 Maskerwimpelvis ·Zanclus cornutus
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © David R · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © John Sear · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © François Libert · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 4. © Ian Banks · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Kristin Anderson · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Richard Ling · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 7. © NOAA Photo Library · CC BY 4.0
- 8. © Tony Strazzari · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © Georgia Poyner · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. © Richard Ling · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
what is it?
The Moorish idol ( Zanclus cornutus ), is a marine fish species, the sole extant representative of the family Zanclidae (from the Greek ζαγκίος, zagkios , "oblique") in order Perciformes. A common inhabitant of tropical to subtropical reefs and lagoons, the Moorish idol is notable for its wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific. A number of butterflyfishes (genus Heniochus ) closely resemble the Moorish idol. It is closely related to, if not a direct descendant of, the extinct Eozanclus brevirostris , from...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 12,106 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Moorish Idol
- Nederlands
- Maskerwimpelvis
- scientific name
- Zanclus cornutus
- class
- Actinopterygii
- order
- Acanthuriformes
- family
- Zanclidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 12,106
- GBIF records in NL
- 0
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 83290, Wikidata Q941448, GBIF 2374663, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.