Chaetodon ephippium
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)
Chaetodon
Chaetodon ephippium
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep. Description: Overall color is yellowish grey with a large black spot bordered below by a broad white band on the back, and wavy blue lines on the lower sides. Adults have a filament extending posteriorly from the upper part of the soft portion of the dorsal fin (Ref. 1602). Snout length 2.2-2.6 in HL. Body depth 1.6-1.8 in SL (Ref. 90102). Striking features: striking fins.
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: Sri Lanka (Ref. 10361) and Cocos-Keeling Islands to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to Rowley Shoals and New South Wales, Australia.
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 0-40 m. Found in: coral reefs.
Biology
Occur in lagoons and seaward reefs to a depth of 30 m, prefer coral-rich and clear water areas (Ref. 205). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Encountered singly, in pairs or small groups (adults often in pairs; juveniles solitary and inshore). Feed on filamentous algae, small invertebrates, coral polyps, and fish eggs. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).
Max length: 30.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Distinct pairing (Ref. 205). Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and social (Ref. 52884).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2009-10-08. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Thresher, R.E. (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City, New Jersey. 399 p.
Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984) The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text).
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Steene, R.C. (1978) Butterfly and angelfishes of the world. A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd., Australia. vol. 1. 144 p.
Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose (1984) Food habits of teleostean reef fishes in Okinawa Island, southern Japan. University of Tokyo Bulletin, no. 25. v,128p. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, Japan. 128 p.
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
Coleman, R., J.M. Copus, D.M. Coffey, R.K. Whitton and B.W. Bowen (2018) Shifting reef fish assemblages along a depth gradient in Pohnpei, Micronesia. PeerJ, 6: e4650. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4650
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