WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Black-spotted Butterflyfish

Chaetodon nigropunctatus

Also known as: Coralfish, Dark Butterflyfish, Mystery Butterflyfish, Coralfishs

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@avzaid · Khasab, Oman · April 20121 / 2
01

Overview

Found singly or in pairs, in shallow lagoons and over coral and rocky reefs, rich in coral growth.

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.

02

How to identify

Pattern
spots
Behaviour
pairssolitary

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Indian Ocean
  • Country only · 2
LIVES IN

Found singly or in pairs, in shallow lagoons and over coral and rocky reefs, rich in coral growth.

04

Adult photos 2

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderAcanthuriformes
    5. familyChaetodontidae
    6. genusChaetodon
    7. speciesChaetodon nigropunctatus Sauvage, 1880

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)