Description

Also known as Coralfish, Indian Ocean Teardrop Butterflyfish, Indian Teardrop Butterflyfish, Teardrop Butterflyfish.

Found singly, pairs, or in small schools, over coral reef flats and deep slopes. Adults develop a bulbous snout with age.
They feed on filamentous algae, hard and soft corals, crustaceans, and worms.
Length - 20cm
Depth - 10-40m
Widespread Indian ocean

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.se/summary/Chaetodon-interruptus.html