Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Pomacanthidae (Angelfishes)
Chaetodontoplus
Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus
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: Body purplish grey with vermiculations white, snout tip yellow, eye bar black, patch on nape white or yellow. Body depth 1.7-1.8 in SL. Scales longitudinal series about 80 (Ref. 90102). May consist of two separate species, one with an all-yellow tail and the other mostly gray tail (Ref. 48391, 48636). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Japan to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and east to Papua New Guinea (Ref. 4859). Reported from Mentawai Islands (Ref. 27157). May consist of two separate species, one with an all-yellow tail and the other mostly gray tail (Ref. 48391).
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 1-20 m. Found in: estuaries, coral reefs.
Biology
Inhabits continental shelf reefs; not usually found around oceanic islands (Ref. 9710). Feeds on sponges, tunicates, and filamentous algae (Ref. 9710). Forms small groups. Frequently exported through the aquarium trade (Ref. 48391). Very close to Chaetodontoplus poliourus Randall & Rocha, 2009 with different colors on pelvic, dorsal and caudal fins. The two species coexist in several islands of Indonesia (Ref. 82330) including Lesser Sunda Islands, Molucca Islands, Halmahera, and Bird's Head Peninsula of West Papua (Ref. 90102).
Max length: 18.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: protogyny; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Protogyny has been proposed for this species awaiting confirmation (Ref. 103751).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2009-10-08. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
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.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Pyle, R. (2001) Pomacanthidae: Angelfishes. p. 3266-3286. In K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae). Rome, FAO.
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.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. and M. Liu (2008) Functional hermaphroditism in teleosts. Fish Fish. 9(1):1-43. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-2979.2007.00266.x
Comments On Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus