Soldierfish

Blackbar soldierfish pack into the darkest interior zones of The Cathedral in dense, hovering aggregations, their vivid crimson flanks and oversized dark-adapted eyes glowing in torch light. They are nocturnal planktivores that shelter in caves and overhangs by day to avoid predation, emerging at night to feed on zooplankton drifting in from the open ocean around the island. Their abundance in Saint Helena's caverns reflects both the pristine food web and the lack of spearfishing pressure that reduces their numbers at more visited island sites.