HomeMarine aquarium fishAngelfish & butterflyfishSunburst butterflyfish Sunburst butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) Scientific name: Chaetodon kleinii Bloch, 1790 The Sunburst butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) is a marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae. BiologyDorsal spines (total): 13 - 14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 20-23; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 17 - 20; Vertebrae: 24. Body is yellowish brown with two broad white vertical bars running across the body one from near the origin of the dorsal spine and the other from the middle of the back. A black bar runs vertically across the eye. There are numerous dotted horizontal stripes on the sides. The margin of caudal fin is transparent.Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific nameChaetodon kleiniiFamilyChaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)OrderPerciformes (Perch-like fish)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length15.0Depth range4–61 m (13–200 ft)EnvironmentMarine; reef-associated; depth range 4 - 61 m, usually 10 - ? mClimateTropicalDistributionIndo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa (south to Coffee Bay, South Africa, ) to the Hawaiian Islands and Samoa, north to southern Japan, south to New South Wales, Australia and New Caledonia. Eastern Pacific: Galapagos Islands.Conservation status (IUCN)Least Concern (LC)Threat to humansHarmlessUsesFisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercialResilienceHigh, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.) More angelfish & butterflyfishPajama cardinalfishSphaeramia nematopteraPearlscale angelfishCentropyge vrolikiiBicolor angelfishCentropyge bicolorLemonpeel angelfishCentropyge flavissimaTwospined angelfishCentropyge bispinosaSpot-nape butterflyfishChaetodon oxycephalusSee 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