Swallowtail dwarf monocle bream

Distributed in the tropics of the western Pacific Ocean including from Okinawa Island southwards. Previously, the swallowtail dwarf monocle bream and the rosy dwarf monocle bream were thought to be the same species, however our researchers revealed they were different species. There are only a few populations of swallowtail dwarf monocle bream in Okinawa, they account for just one or two percent of the fishing catch of rosy dwarf monocle bream. Its distinctive swallow-like tail has sharper points than the rosy dwarf monocle bream. Also, the edge of its tail fin fluoresces green under UV light.  The difference in fluorescence is another way it can be differentiated from the rosy dwarf monocle bream.