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Fish · Wrasse

Coral Hogfish

Bodianus mesothorax (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Also called Splitlevel Hogfish, Split-level Hogfish, Blackbelt Hogfish, Eclipse Hogfish, Eclipse Pigfish, Mesothorax Hogfish, Yellow-spotted Hogfish

Reviewed by admin on October 29, 2026 · Meet the team

  • CareModerate
  • Reef safeWith caution
  • TemperamentSemi-aggressiveBullies small, docile fish; eats inverts
  • Favorite foods
    1. Mysis shrimp
    2. Chopped shrimp and squid
    3. Krill
  • Max size9.8 in (25 cm)
  • Min tank100 gal
  • LifespanNo published lifespan figure was found…
  • IUCN statusLeast Concern

Shop this species (1 in stock)

Coral Hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax)
Species photo: portioid, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Quick answers

How big does the Coral Hogfish get?
Up to 9.8 in (25 cm).
What size tank does it need?
At least 100 gallons.
How hard is it to keep?
Care level: Moderate.
Is it reef safe?
With caution. Leaves most corals alone but becomes less invertebrate-safe as it grows.
What does it eat?
  • Mysis shrimp
  • Chopped shrimp and squid
  • Krill
How long does it live?
No published lifespan figure was found for this species in the sources checked.
What are good tankmates?
  • Larger, peaceful fish of similar size
  • Angelfish
  • Tangs
  • Robust damselfish

The 30-second version

The coral hogfish looks like it is wearing two outfits. The front half is dark purple. The back half is yellow and white. A black stripe runs at a slant between them, like a belt. Babies look very different. They are dark purple with bright yellow spots. In just a few weeks they change into the grown-up colors. This fish lives on coral reefs from Japan down to Australia and out to Fiji. It swims near the bottom and looks for snails, crabs and worms to eat. Grown-ups often clean bigger fish. They pick tiny pests off their skin. In a tank it is bold and busy, and it needs lots of room. It is not safe with shrimp, crabs or snails. It can also push small, shy fish around.

Water & care

Hardy and an eager eater once settled, but it grows large, roams the whole tank and hunts invertebrates. Give it a long tank with caves and ledges in stable rockwork, a deep sand bed for diving into when frightened, and open swimming room. Feed meaty foods several times a day, add it after peaceful fish are established, and quarantine it first. Juveniles are easier to fit into a reef than adults, but they grow out of it.

ParameterKeep it at
Temperature 72–78 °F
Salinity (SG) 1.020–1.025
pH 8.1–8.4
Alkalinity 8–12 dKH

LiveAquaria and Quality Marine agree on 72-78°F, SG 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4 and 8-12 dKH. That Pet Place gives 75-82°F, SG 1.020-1.024 and pH 8.0-8.4, and FishBase lists it from water of 24-28°C (75-82°F). No species-specific calcium, magnesium, nitrate or phosphate values are published; keep normal reef targets in a reef.

Feeding

DietCarnivore

Favorite foods

  • Frozen mysis shrimp
  • Chopped shrimp, squid and mussel
  • Krill
  • Meaty pellets

A voracious eater: Quality Marine recommends a high-quality meaty diet several times a day. Offer a varied mix of frozen and prepared meaty foods, including hard-shelled items such as krill and chopped shellfish, in portions it finishes within a few minutes.

Tank & maintenance

Minimum tank
100 gallons
Aquascape
Stable rockwork with caves and ledges, a deep sand bed and a long stretch of open swimming room. Glue or wedge rocks and frags so foraging cannot topple them, and keep the tank covered.
Lighting
No special requirement; Quality Marine lists medium light.
Water flow
No published flow preference; moderate, varied flow as on a normal reef suits it.

Routine upkeep

Standard upkeep with regular partial water changes and strong filtration and skimming for a large, heavy-feeding fish. Check rockwork and frags after it has been rooting around, keep the cover closed, and watch smaller tankmates for signs of bullying as it grows.

Temperament & tankmates

TemperamentSemi-aggressive

LiveAquaria rates it aggressive and warns that it bullies smaller, docile fish. Quality Marine calls hogfish somewhat territorial but usually compatible with most tankmates, and That Pet Place lists it as community safe with caution and suitable with larger, peaceful fish. That Pet Place also notes that cleaning by juveniles often stops as they mature and can then harm other fish. Add it after the peaceful fish and keep only one.

Reef safeWith caution

Leaves most corals alone but becomes less invertebrate-safe as it grows. LiveAquaria rates juveniles reef compatible and adults not, listing snails, worms, mussels, small fish, shrimp and squid among adult foods. That Pet Place rates it reef safe with caution but not invertebrate safe, and notes that hogfish may overturn corals while searching for food. Expect losses of ornamental shrimp, crabs, snails and worms, and secure rocks and frags.

Good tankmates

  • Larger, peaceful fish of similar size
  • Angelfish
  • Tangs
  • Robust damselfish

Avoid

  • Ornamental shrimp and crabs
  • Snails, small clams and mussels
  • Feather dusters and other tube worms
  • Small, docile fish that are easily bullied
  • Fish small enough to be eaten

Help it thrive

  • Buy it for a tank it can grow into: about 10 in of fish needs a long tank with open swimming room.
  • Feed several meaty meals a day so it has less reason to hunt your cleanup crew.
  • Build caves and ledges in stable rockwork, and glue down loose pieces.
  • Add it after peaceful fish have settled, and avoid small, timid species.
  • Quarantine it before adding it to the display.

Common ailments

Marine ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)
Signs
White, salt-like spots on the skin, fins or gills, scratching (flashing), fast breathing, cloudy eyes, hiding and poor appetite.
Prevention
Quarantine every new fish in a separate tank for several weeks, and keep water quality stable.
Treatment
Move the fish to a hospital tank and treat with copper, chloroquine phosphate or the tank-transfer method; these treatments harm invertebrates, so never use them in a reef. Provide a hiding place, and leave the display without fish for several weeks so the cysts in the rock and sand die out.

Marine velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)
Signs
A dusty, gold-to-gray sheen on the skin, very rapid breathing, gasping near the surface, scratching and lethargy. It can kill very quickly.
Prevention
Strict quarantine, and separate or disinfected nets, buckets and equipment for each tank.
Treatment
Treat immediately: a temperature- and pH-matched freshwater dip for fast relief, then copper or chloroquine phosphate in a hospital tank, and leave the display fallow with no fish.

This is general hobby guidance, not veterinary advice. Quarantine new arrivals and treat in a separate tank whenever you can.

Risks of owning one

  • Adults eat shrimp, crabs, snails, mussels and worms, so a reef cleanup crew is at risk.
  • Grows to about 8-10 in and needs a large tank long-term.
  • Can bully small, peaceful fish.
  • May overturn corals and loose rocks while foraging.
  • Easily confused with the axilspot hogfish, which shares the coral hogfish name.

Breeding

DifficultyNot achieved Captive-bredRare or wild-caught

FishBase lists it as an egg-layer that forms distinct pairs when breeding, with a pelagic larval stage, and Fishes of Australia notes that it can change sex. No report of captive spawning or larval rearing was found in the sources checked, and fish in the trade appear to be wild-collected.

Deep dive The science, history and family tree

The science

Bodianus mesothorax is a hogfish in the wrasse family Labridae (subfamily Hypsigenyinae). The body is fusiform and laterally compressed; the dorsal fin has 12 spines and 9-10 soft rays and the anal fin 3 spines and 11-12 soft rays. Adults have a purplish to maroon head and forebody separated from a whitish to yellow rear by a well-defined black diagonal band, hence the name (Greek mesos, middle, and thorax, breastplate). Juveniles are deep purple with two rows of bright yellow spots and change to the adult pattern at about 5-6 cm within a few weeks. Maximum length is 25 cm. The species ranges through the western Pacific from southern Japan to Sydney, New Caledonia and Fiji, and into the eastern Indian Ocean to Christmas Island and the Nicobars, but is absent from the oceanic mid-Pacific plate. Adults stay close to the bottom on coral-rich outer reef slopes, often near caves and ledges, mostly at 5-20 m, and often clean larger fishes; juveniles shelter in caves. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Appearance
Adults have a burgundy to purplish face and front half and a rosy-yellow to white rear half, split by a sharp black diagonal band like a belt. Juveniles are dark purple to burgundy with bright yellow spots and switch to the adult pattern at about 2 in (5-6 cm), so in-between fish are rarely seen. The main look-alike is the axilspot hogfish (B. axillaris), which FishBase also calls coral hogfish. Its juveniles are black with white, not yellow, spots. Its adults lack the broad black band and have a large black spot at the base of the pectoral fin (the 'axil spot') plus black spots on the soft dorsal and anal fins, which B. mesothorax lacks.
Native range
Eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific: the Nicobar Islands at the edge of the Andaman Sea, the west coasts of Malaysia and Indonesia and Christmas Island, east to Fiji, north to Wakayama Prefecture in southern Japan and south to Sydney, New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and Elizabeth Reef. In Australia it is known from Scott and Ashmore reefs and the Great Barrier Reef, with juveniles recorded as far south as Sydney. FishBase notes that it is evidently absent from the oceanic mid-Pacific plate. Aquarium fish are commonly imported from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Habitat
Coral-rich outer reef slopes, often near caves and ledges, usually close to the bottom at about 5-20 m (FishBase records 0-60 m, Fishes of Australia 4-40 m). Adults often clean larger fishes, and juveniles live in caves. Young fish drift on warm currents during their pelagic stage, which carries them into subtropical waters.
Size
9.8 in (25 cm). FishBase gives 25 cm (9.8 in) total length; Fishes of Australia says 20 cm. Retailers differ: LiveAquaria says 8 in, Quality Marine and That Pet Place almost 10 in.
Lifespan
No published lifespan figure was found for this species in the sources checked.
Conservation
Least Concern. Assessed Least Concern by the IUCN (FishBase lists a 2008 assessment). It is used in commercial fisheries and the aquarium trade. No captive-bred supply was found, so aquarium fish appear to be wild-collected, commonly in the Philippines and Indonesia

In the aquarium vs in the wild

In your aquarium

A striking two-tone display fish for fish-only tanks or large reef tanks without small invertebrates; LiveAquaria considers juveniles reef compatible.

On the reef

A bottom-oriented predator of invertebrates on outer reef slopes that also cleans parasites from larger fishes.

History

Marcus Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider described the species in 1801 in Systema Ichthyologiae as Labrus mesothorax, from the East Indies. It was later placed in the genus Lepidaplois, and Gronow's Scarus mordax (1854) is a synonym. The name mesothorax refers to the black band across the middle of the adult, and the band also inspired trade names such as blackbelt, eclipse and splitlevel hogfish. In the aquarium trade it is usually sold as the coral hogfish and is commonly imported from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Evolution & relatives

Hogfishes make up the wrasse subfamily Hypsigenyinae, which Westneat and Alfaro (2005) found to be the sister group of all other wrasses in a broad DNA study of the family. The first multi-gene tree of Bodianus, by Santini, Sorenson and Alfaro (2016), showed that the genus is only a natural group if the creole wrasse (Clepticus) and the sheepheads (Semicossyphus) are included, and dated the start of hogfish diversification to the Early Miocene, about 20 million years ago, in the Indo-West and southwest Pacific. WoRMS now places Bodianus in the tribe Clepticini, and Semicossyphus has been merged into Bodianus. The coral hogfish and the axilspot hogfish are similar-looking members of the genus with overlapping ranges. On the site's tree, the coral hogfish shares its genus with Diana's hogfish and is only distantly related to Halichoeres wrasses such as the melanurus.

Family tree, from kingdom down

  1. Kingdom Animalia Animals Animals are living things made of many cells that must eat food to live. Fish, corals, crabs, snails and sea stars are all animals.
  2. Phylum Chordata Chordates Chordates have a stiff rod running down their back at some point in their lives. In fish and people, this rod is replaced by a backbone.
  3. Subphylum Vertebrata Vertebrates Vertebrates are animals with a backbone and a skull. Fish, frogs, birds and people are all vertebrates.
  4. Infraphylum Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates
  5. Parvphylum Osteichthyes bony fishes
  6. Gigaclass Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes
  7. Superclass Actinopteri
  8. Class Teleostei Teleost fishes Teleosts are bony fishes with thin, bendy fin rays and jaws that can push forward. Almost all of the fish in the world are teleosts.
  9. Order Eupercaria (unplaced) Unplaced eupercarian fishes Eupercaria is a huge group of fish with spiny fins. Scientists found it by studying DNA, and it holds wrasses, grunts, butterflyfishes and many more. 'Incertae sedis' means 'place not sure': scientists have not yet agreed which order wrasses belong in.
  10. Family Labridae Wrasses Wrasses are a huge family of colorful fish that swim by flapping their front fins. Many change color, and some change from female to male.
  11. Subfamily Hypsigenyinae Hogfishes and allies
  12. Tribe Clepticini
  13. Genus Bodianus Hogfishes
  14. Species Bodianus mesothorax

See it on the Tree of Life Compare with another species

Closest relatives

  • Bodianus axillaris Axilspot Hogfish (Coral Pigfish) Same genus; look-alike also sold as coral hogfish
  • Bodianus diana Diana's Hogfish Same genus Read guide · Compare
  • Bodianus dictynna Pacific Diana's Hogfish (Redfin Hogfish) Same genus; shares its western Pacific range
  • Bodianus rufus Spanish Hogfish Same genus; Atlantic species linked to the genus's type species

Older scientific names: Lepidaplois mesothorax, Labrus mesothorax.

Fun facts

  1. The name mesothorax means 'middle breastplate', after the black band across the adult's body.
  2. Juveniles swap their yellow-spotted purple coat for the two-tone adult colors in just a few weeks, so in-between fish are rarely seen.
  3. Adults often work as cleaners, picking parasites off larger fish.
  4. Drifting young ride warm currents, which is how juveniles turn up as far south as Sydney.
  5. Like other hogfishes, it can change sex.

Learn more

Sources

  1. FishBase species summary: Bodianus mesothorax fishbase.se
  2. WoRMS taxon record 273536 marinespecies.org
  3. Wikipedia: Bodianus mesothorax en.wikipedia.org
  4. Fishes of Australia: Eclipse Pigfish, Bodianus mesothorax fishesofaustralia.net.au
  5. LiveAquaria: Coral Hogfish liveaquaria.com
  6. Quality Marine: Coral Hogfish qualitymarine.com
  7. That Pet Place: Coral Hogfish thatpetplace.com
  8. Wikipedia: Bodianus axillaris en.wikipedia.org

Scientific names and classification follow the World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID 273536). Checked by our team. Last updated October 29, 2026.