Description

Also known as Coralfish, Gold-banded Butterflyfish, Golden Butterflyfish, Goldenrod Butterflyfish, Goldenstripe Coralfish, Golden-striped Coralfish, Goldstripe Butterflyfish, Sunburst Butterflyfish.

Found singly or in pairs, over silty estuaries, coastal and inner reefs.
They feed on coral polyps from live corals.
Juveniles found in the arms of branching corals.
Length - 12.5cm
Depth - 2-15m
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.de/summary/6513