---
title: Moonyfishes (Monodactylidae)
scientific_name: Monodactylidae
common_name: Moonyfishes
rank: Family
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T21:05:56.550Z
tags: Moonyfishes, Monodactylidae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/moonyfishes
---

# Moonyfishes (*Monodactylidae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Family
- **Scientific name:** Monodactylidae
- **Body shape:** Disc - Round and flat as a plate, seen from the side - butterflyfishes, angelfishes.
- **Species listed here:** 1

## How to recognise this group

- disc-shaped body, very deep from top to bottom
- very tall dorsal and anal fins
- mostly silvery body colour
- often yellow or black markings, especially in juveniles
- form dense schools in shallow, sheltered waters

Moonyfishes (Monodactylidae), also known as monos or fingerfishes, are deep-bodied, strongly laterally compressed fish with disc-shaped bodies. Their dorsal and anal fins are tall; in some species, this gives an overall height greater than their length, which earned them the name 'fingerfishes'. Scales extend onto their dorsal fins and sometimes onto their anal fins. Pelvic fins are small or vestigial. Most are silvery, often showing yellow or black markings, particularly as juveniles. They typically reach around 25 centimetres (9.8 in) in length, with some species growing up to 30 centimetres (12 in) from fin tip to fin tip.

These fish commonly form schools in shallow, sheltered coastal waters, including lagoons, harbours, and inner reef flats. They are typically found at depths of 1 to 20 metres (3-65 ft). Moonyfishes are omnivorous, feeding on zooplankton, small invertebrates, and algae.


## Species (1)

- [Silver Mono (Monodactylus argenteus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/moonyfishes/silver-mono)

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/moonyfishes)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*