HomeMarine aquarium fishAngelfish & butterflyfishScrawled butterflyfish Scrawled butterflyfish (Chaetodon meyeri) Scientific name: Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider, 1801 The Scrawled butterflyfish (Chaetodon meyeri) is a marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae. Native range: Indo-Pacific, East Africa to the Line Islands; north to the Ryukyu Islands; south to the Great Barrier Reef; including Micronesia and the Galapagos Islands. BiologyDorsal spines (total): 12 - 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 23-25; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 18 - 20. Body is whitish or blue-white with curved to oblique black bands on the sides. A yellow edged black bar runs through the eye, another is on the snout.Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific nameChaetodon meyeriFamilyChaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)OrderPerciformes (Perch-like fish)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length20.0Depth range2–25 m (7–82 ft)EnvironmentMarine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 2 - 25 mClimateTropicalDistributionIndo-Pacific: East Africa to the Line Islands; north to the Ryukyu Islands; south to the Great Barrier Reef; including Micronesia and the Galapagos Islands.Conservation status (IUCN)Least Concern (LC)Threat to humansHarmlessUsesFisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercialResilienceHigh, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.) More angelfish & butterflyfishPajama cardinalfishSphaeramia nematopteraAtoll butterflyfishChaetodon mertensiiSpot-tail butterflyfishChaetodon ocellicaudusBlackback butterflyfishChaetodon melannotusRaccoon butterflyfishChaetodon lunulaEightband butterflyfishChaetodon octofasciatusSee all angelfish & butterflyfish SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.Last updated 27 September 2026