Reef Stories
Butterflyfish
Butterflyfish
Fish Index
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There are some 113 butterflyfish in 10 genera, of which c. 90% are in Indo-Pacific. These remarkable, colourful fish are often specialist, niche feeders, and are dependant on living reefs with a complex three dimensional stucture to survive. This specialisation enables many species to live closely together, as on the reefs around Bunaken, N. Sulawesi where over 30 species can be found on the surronding reef.
The only way to protect most species is to protect the entire reef community. Act now and support the relevant charaties.
A good account of their interesting lives can be found in the Reef Fishes of the East Indies.
One fish, the Moorish Idol, that is totally unrelated to the butterflyfish has been included here due to its likeness to Bannerfish.
To make identification hopefully a little easier, the images have been grouped according to broad visual similarities with the most similar species being put next to each other. The groups are:
The genus Chaetodon
1: Species with distinctive markings that do not fall into a particular pattern
2. Body partly white, partly light yellow with thin stripes
3. Body either with chevrons or bold verticle or diagonal stipes
4. Basic body colour medium to dark yellow
Other butterflyfish genera and Moorish Idols
5. Bannerfish & long-nosed butterflyfish
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Group 1: "Distinctive" Species
Chaetodon adiergastos, the Panda Butterflyfish is one of the larger species. It is often seen in pairs or small groups. C. ephippium has possibly the most distinctive patterning of all species, and can reach over 25cm long. Together with C. unimaculatus it is one of the shyest of butterflyfish.
Group 2: White & yellow
All Chaetodon species in this group have part of their body white, with the tail and often the fins yellow. Thin, fine black lines in various patterns also characterise this group. Species can be identified by the line patterning, shading, and positioning of large dark spots.
Group 3: Chevrons or stripes
A very distinctive chevron pattern or very strong stripes characterise these species. Chaetodon flavissimus is fairly similar to C. trifascialis. C flavissimus is as long as high, red-brown and has a yellow line at the base of the tail fin, C. trifascialis is longer than high , has a distinct black stripe through the eye and no line at the base of the tail fin.
Group 4: Yellow
These species all have a background body colour of mid- to dark yellow. Cheatodon lunula is unusual in that it feed both day and night.
Group 5: Bannerfish & Moorish Idols
Bannerfish (Heniochus sp.) typically are seen in pairs, though H. diphreutes can be seen in large shoals along drop-offs. Some species are very similar, but occur in different world areas.
The Pyramid Butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis) is the best known schooling species, oftern occurring in hugh numbers on dropoffs. It is a plankton feeder, but doesn't miss the opportunity to gorge on Seargent Major eggs when a mass laying is taking place.
The variably long snouts of the Forcipiger species ensure that they have different target prey when living together.
Moorish Idols (Zanchus cornutus) have biologically nothing to do with Bannerfish, but because divers often associate them, they are included here.
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Distinctive species
Group 1: "Distinctive" Species
Chaetodon adiergastos, the Panda Butterflyfish is one of the larger species. It is often seen in pairs or small groups. C. ephippium has possibly the most distinctive patterning of all species, and can reach over 25cm long. Together with C. unimaculatus it is one of the shyest of butterflyfish.
Yellow-white
Group 2: White & yellow
All Chaetodon species in this group have part of their body white, with the tail and often the fins yellow. Thin, fine black lines in various patterns also characterise this group. Species can be identified by the line patterning, shading, and positioning of large dark spots.
Chevrons & strong lines
Group 3: Chevrons or stripes
A very distinctive chevron pattern or very strong stripes characterise these species. Chaetodon flavissimus is fairly similar to C. trifascialis. C flavissimus is as long as high, red-brown and has a yellow line at the base of the tail fin, C. trifascialis is longer than high , has a distinct black stripe through the eye and no line at the base of the tail fin.
Yellow
Group 4: Yellow
These species all have a background body colour of mid- to dark yellow. Cheatodon lunula is unusual in that it feed both day and night.
Bannerfish, Moorish Idols
Group 5: Bannerfish & Moorish Idols
Bannerfish (Heniochus sp.) typically are seen in pairs, though H. diphreutes can be seen in large shoals along drop-offs. Some species are very similar, but occur in different world areas.
The Pyramid Butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis) is the best known schooling species, oftern occurring in hugh numbers on dropoffs. It is a plankton feeder, but doesn't miss the opportunity to gorge on Seargent Major eggs when a mass laying is taking place.
The variably long snouts of the Forcipiger species ensure that they have different target prey when living together.
Moorish Idols (Zanchus cornutus) have biologically nothing to do with Bannerfish, but because divers often associate them, they are included here.
