Barred Face Spine Cheek

Head scales reaching to between anterior margin of eyes and posterior nostrils. Lower limb of preopercle scaly. Antrorse (forward-directed) suborbital spine absent. Pelvic fins long, reaching almost to level of origin of anal fin. Upper lobe of caudal fin a little longer than lower lobe. In larger specimens, lobes produced to form short filamentous extensions in larger specimens. 3 blue stripes on snout; uppermost joining eyes above nostrils. A blue stripe on preopercle behind eye. A blue chevron-shaped stripe running upwards onto opercle from below eye and bending downward towards pectoral-fin base.

Also Ref. 103751.

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 7

Also occurs in small groups. Feeds on fish and benthic invertebrates (Ref. 3810).

Occurs on sand bottoms close to reefs. Often silty habitats (Ref. 48635). Occurs solitary or in small groups. Feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and polychaete worms (Ref. 90102). It is parasitised by the monogenean Anoplodiscus hutsonae on the pectoral fins and body surface (Ref. 124057).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: low; price reliability: questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this genus

分布於印度-西太平洋區，西起安達曼海，東至巴布新幾內亞，北至日本南部，南至澳洲皆有分布。台灣南部、東部及西南海域可發現。

本魚全年皆有產，可利用手釣或在礁岩外砂地放流刺網捕獲，唯因其多單獨活動，故捕獲數量通常不多。

體長橢圓形，側扁；頭端尖細，頭背幾成直線，兩眼間隔區不隆突。吻中大。眼大；眶下骨的後上角具一銳棘，下緣有細鋸齒，上緣不具前向棘。口中大，端位；頜齒細小，帶狀；鋤骨、腭骨及舌面均不具齒。第一鰓弓下枝鰓耙數5。體被大櫛鱗；頭部鱗域向前伸展至眼前，但不及後鼻孔；前鰓蓋下枝骨脊具鱗；側線鱗數46-49；側線與硬背鰭基底中點間有鱗3 .5。背鰭連續而無深刻，具硬棘 X，軟條9；臀鰭硬棘III，軟條7；腹鰭幾達臀鰭起點；胸鰭達肛門；尾鰭上下葉幼小時鈍圓，長成則延長呈絲狀。幼小時體側有一黑色縱帶；長成則此帶不明顯，且眼前緣至主鰓蓋上角，及眼下至主鰓蓋正中各有一條藍色縱帶，聶部有一黑色斜斑；體側上半部有斜紋。

通常單獨或數尾在礁岩地區或礁岩外緣之砂地上活動，游泳時以一游一停的方式前進，以礁岩或砂地上的小魚、蝦或軟體動物為主食。