Description

Also known as Coralfish, Mirror Butterflyfish, Onespot Butterfly, Onespot Butterflyfish, Ovalspot Coralfish, Oval-spotted Coralfish, Speculum Butterflyfish, Spotted Butterflyfish.

Found singly or in pairs, over coastal reef slopes, rich in anemone and hydroid growth.
They feed on coral polyps and invertebrates.
Juveniles secretive, in the branches of coral thickets.
Length - 18cm
Depth - 3-30m
Widespread Indo-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.se/summary/Chaetodon-speculum.html