Description
Also known as Coralfish, Baroness Butterflyfish, Eastern Triangle Butterflyfish, Herringbone Coralfish, Pacific Triangular Butterflyfish, Triangular Butterflyfish, Triangular Coralfish.
Found in territorial pairs, close to tubular Acropora corals, over lagoons and seaward reefs.
They feed exclusively on coral polyps from the tubular Acropora coral.
Juveniles in the arms of branching corals.
Length - 16cm
Depth - 0-20m
Widespread Western Pacific
Butterflyfishes have very fine hair like teeth that enable them to pick out small organisms inaccessible to most other fish for eating.
They thrive mainly on a diet of coral polyps, tentacles of featherdusters and Christmas-tree worms. As these food sources all zap back into their shells, butterflyfishes need to be able to hover motionless while picking at the coral and to dart swiftly over short distances to get the worm before it retracts. They do this by using their Pectoral fins as oars to brake, sprint, turn and even reverse. Ref: https://www.fishbase.in/summary/Chaetodon-baronessa.html
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