Eight-banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon octofasciatus (Bloch, 1787)

Scientific name: Chaetodon octofasciatus
Eight-banded Butterflyfish Click to enlarge image
An Eight-banded Butterflyfish at a depth of 5m Redang Island, Malaysia, April 2001. Image: Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Chaetodon
    Species
    octofasciatus
    Family
    Chaetodontidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 12 cm in length.

Introduction

The Eight-banded Butterflyfish has a yellow to white body with eight black bands. The fish occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific.

Identification

The Eight-banded Butterflyfish has a yellow to white body with eight black bands. It has a black stripe along the top of the snout and a clear caudal fin margin.

Distribution

The Eight-banded Butterflyfish is found in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific.

In Australia it is known only from offshore islands of north-western Western Australia.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Feeding and diet

The Eight-banded Butterflyfish eats coral polyps.

References

  1. Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
  2. Allen, G.R. 1993. Reef Fishes of New Guinea. A Field Guide for Divers, Anglers and Naturalists. Christensen Research Institute. No. 8. Pp. 132.
  3. Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.