WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Crown Butterflyfish

Chaetodon paucifasciatus

Also known as: Coralfish, Crown Butterfly, Eritrean Butterflyfish, Redback Butterfly, Redback Butterflyfish, Red-backed Butterflyfish, Red Sea Chevron Butterflyfish, Red Sea Pearlscale Butterflyfish, Red-tailed Butterflyfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@bottleofscotch1 · Taba Heights, Egypt · September 20131 / 4
01

Overview

Found singly, pairs, or in small schools, over coral and rubble areas of reefs, rich in coral growth.
Western Indian Ocean - Red Sea to Gulf of Aden

Replaced by
Chaetodon madagaskariensis in the Indian Ocean
Chaetodon mertensii in the Pacific
Chaetodon xanthurus in the 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.

02

How to identify

COLOURS
Head & Mouth
eye stripe

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Indian Ocean
  • Country only · 4
LIVES IN

Found singly, pairs, or in small schools, over coral and rubble areas of reefs, rich in coral growth.

04

Adult photos 4

06

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 paucifasciatus Ahl, 1923

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    07

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)