Chaetodon punctatofasciatus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)
Chaetodon
Chaetodon punctatofasciatus
Description
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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. Overall color is brownish yellow with vertical rows of spots forming bands on the upper portions of the sides. A black-edged orange bar runs across the eye. The posterior edge of the caudal fin is transparent. Caudal peduncle is bright orange (Ref. 4855). Snout length 2.7-4.1 in HL. Body depth 1.6-1.8 in SL (Ref. 90102). Striking features: striking type of mouth.
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Line Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Rowley Shoals and the northern Great Barrier Reef; throughout Micronesia. Replaced by Chaetodon guttatissimus in the Indian Ocean (Ref. 37816).
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 0-45 m. Found in: coral reefs.
Biology
Common in coral rich areas and clear waters of lagoon and seaward reefs. Sometimes found on outer subtidal reef flats (Ref. 1602). Juveniles secretive (Ref. 48636). Feed on filamentous algae, corals, and benthic invertebrates. Often in pairs during breeding (Ref. 205), monogamous (Ref. 52884). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Occasionally hybridize with C. pelewensis in the southern part of its range (Ref. 9710). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.
Max length: 12.0 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 2009-10-07. 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.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p.
Burgess, W.E. (1978) Butterflyfishes of the world. A monograph of the Family Chaetodontidae. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Opitz, S. (1996) Trophic interactions in Caribbean coral reefs. ICLARM Tech. Rep. 43, 341 p.
Sano, M. (1989) Feeding habits of Japanese butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae). Environ. Biol. Fishes 25(1-3):195-203.
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.
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