WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Hooded Butterflyfish

Chaetodon larvatus

Also known as: Blue Chevron Butterflyfish, Brownface Butterflyfish, Coralfish, Larvatus Butterflyfish, Masked Butterflyfish, Maskface Hooded Butterflyfish, Orangeface Butterflyfish, Orange-faced Butterflyfish, Orangehead Butterflyfish, Redhead Butterflyfish, Red Sea Butterflyfish, Red Sea Triangular Butterflyfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@kemalkestelli · Sheraton Beach Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia · May 20121 / 5
01

Overview

Found singly or in pairs, close to Acropora plate-like corals, over shallow water, coral and rocky reefs, rich in coral growth.
Western Indian Ocean - Red Sea, Gulf of Aden

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.

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How to identify

Head & Mouth
face mask
Behaviour
pairssolitary

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Indian Ocean
  • Country only · 5
LIVES IN

Found singly or in pairs, close to Acropora plate-like corals, over shallow water, coral and rocky reefs, rich in coral growth.

04

Adult photos 5

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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 larvatus Cuvier, 1831

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)