Moorish idol
Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus), also called Kihikihi, is a bony fish in the family Zanclidae and the order Acanthuriformes. It belongs to the class Teleostei and the genus Zanclus, and its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
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Quick facts about the moorish idol
The IUCN Red List assesses the moorish idol globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coral_reef, marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the moorish idol
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the moorish idol live?
Not recorded
What is the moorish idol?
The Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zanclidae. It is the only member of the monospecific genus Zanclus and the only extant species within the Zanclidae. This species is found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region.
From the Wikipedia article “Moorish idol” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moorish_idol&oldid=1383741114), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the moorish idol endangered?
The moorish idol is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the moorish idol classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderAcanthuriformes
- familyZanclidae
- genusZanclus
- SpeciesZanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Chaetodon canescens, Chaetodon cornutus, Gonopterus moerens, Zanclus canescens, Zanclus centrognathos, Zanclus cornatus, Zanclus cornotus, Zanclus montrouzieri, Zanclus ruthiae
Other names and names in other languages (29)
- KihikihiEnglish
- Zancle MoriscCatalan
- bičonoš zobanovitýCzech
- ZanclideDanish
- HalfterfischGerman
- ídolo moroSpanish
- SarvikalaFinnish
- tivitiviFijian
- Idole maureFrench
- Cocher blancFrench
- Porte-enseigneFrench
- ZancleFrench
- kihikihiHawaiian
- zászlóshalHungarian
- Idolo morescoItalian
- ツノダシJapanese
- 깃대돔Korean
- MaskerwimpelvisDutch
- Idolek mauretańskiPolish
- Zanclo-mouroPortuguese
- Ídolo-mouriscoPortuguese
- mokoraaray
- Рогатый занклRussian
- pahara toreTahitian
- ปลาโนรีเทวรูปThai
- ปลาผีเสื้อเทวรูปThai
- 角蝶Chinese
- 角蝶魚Chinese
- 镰鱼Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the moorish idol
Other species in the same order Acanthuriformes.
Paracanthurus
Paracanthurus hepatus
Angelfish
Pygoplites diacanthus
Blue surgeonfish
Acanthurus leucosternon
Yellow tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
Clown tang
Acanthurus lineatus
Convictfish
Acanthurus triostegus
CompareMoorish idol vs ParacanthurusMoorish idol vs AngelfishMoorish idol vs Blue surgeonfishMoorish idol vs Yellow tang
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the moorish idol?
The moorish idol is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Zanclidae in the order Acanthuriformes.
What is the scientific name of the moorish idol?
The scientific name of the moorish idol is Zanclus cornutus, in the genus Zanclus.
Who named the moorish idol and when?
The authority for Zanclus cornutus is written as (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the moorish idol endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
What is another name for the moorish idol?
The moorish idol is also called Kihikihi.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/moorish-idol
“Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/moorish-idol.
@misc{moorish_idol_2026,
title = {Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/moorish-idol},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}