Arabian butterflyfish (Chaetodon melapterus)

Scientific name: Chaetodon melapterus Guichenot, 1863

The Arabian butterflyfish (Chaetodon melapterus) is a marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 19-21; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 18 - 19

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Scientific name: Chaetodon melapterus
Family: Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 13.0
Environment: Marine; reef-associated
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Western Indian Ocean: Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman; off the Red Sea coast of Yemen and other islands to the south. Although the type locality was stated to be Reunion and cited by several references as occurring there, it is probably erroneous; the species apparently does not occur in the Mascarenes.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Aquarium: commercial
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026