Stunning pink and orange fish with delicate fins that flutter like wings. It looks like it belongs in a butterfly house. The body is compressed and oval-shaped. It has a small head and a terminal mouth. The colour is a brilliant pink or orange on the back. This fades to silver on the belly. The fins are delicate and translucent. Long, flowing rays extend from them. The scales are small and smooth. A fish that wears its colours like a flower. It is a mid-water predator. It hovers in loose schools above rocky reefs. It feeds on small crustaceans, zooplankton, and fish larvae. It picks them from the water column with its protrusible mouth. It does not chase its prey. It hovers and picks. A fish that is patient. Males are more brightly coloured than females. During the breeding season, the males display their colours to attract mates. The colour fades outside the breeding season. This makes the sexes difficult to distinguish. It is a common resident of offshore islands and rocky headlands. It is most abundant in areas with strong currents and clear water. The plankton is plentiful there. Not targeted by commercial fisheries, it is occasionally caught as bycatch in rock lobster pots and set nets. It is also taken by recreational fishers. It is not a prized catch due to its small size. To see one is to see a flash of pink in the kelp. The kelp forest is green. The butterfly perch hovers, pink and orange, delicate fins fluttering. The current flows. The perch drifts. It does not know it is beautiful. It does not know it looks like a butterfly. It just wants to eat plankton. In Māori tradition, Oia was a fish of the rocky shores. Its bright colours were a sign of clean, clear water and healthy reef systems. It was sometimes caught in hīnaki (pots). It was not a primary food source due to its small size. The name Oia reflects its darting, restless movements. It appears in some coastal stories as a messenger of the reef. Its bright colours signal that the water was clean and the fish were abundant.