Melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus)

Scientific name: Chaetodon trifasciatus Park, 1797

Melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus)

The Melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus) is a marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae.

Biology

Occur in coral-rich lagoons and semi-protected seaward reefs. Territorial and aggressive to other Chaetodon. Small juveniles secretive in corals. Swim in pairs. Feed exclusively on coral polyps, particularly of the Pocillopora type. Oviparous, monogamous. Form pairs during breeding.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Chaetodon trifasciatus
Family
Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
15.0
Common length
12.0
Depth range
2–20 m (7–66 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 20 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Hawaiian and Tuamoto islands. However, the Pacific population has been recognized as a distinct subspecies (Chaetodon trifasciatus lunulatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) by Burgess while according to Randall, pers. comm. 1995, Chaetodon trifasciatus occurs only in the Indian Ocean, while Chaetodon lunulatus occurs only in the Pacific.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K>1)

More angelfish & butterflyfish

See all angelfish & butterflyfish

Sources

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

Last updated