WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Masked Butterflyfish

Chaetodon semilarvatus

Also known as: Addis Butterflyfish, Bluecheek Butterflyfish, Blue-cheeked Butterflyfish, Bluemask Butterflyfish, Coralfish, Golden Butterflyfish, Golden-masked Butterflyfish, Golden Semilarvatus Butterflyfish, Red-lined Butterflyfish, Red Sea Butterflyfish, Red Sea Golden Butterflyfish, Semilarvatus Butterfly, Yellow Butterflyfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@poeticpenguin · Sea Life Centre - Manchester, Barbados · January 20171 / 10
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Overview

Found in pairs or small schools, hovering close too, or under Acropora Plate corals, in lagoons and seaward reefs, rich in coral growth.
Western Indian Ocean - Red Sea to 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

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Indian Ocean
  • Exact location · 1
  • Country only · 9
LIVES IN

Found in pairs or small schools, hovering close too, or under Acropora Plate corals, in lagoons and seaward reefs, rich in coral growth.

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Adult photos 10

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Discussion 1

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1 comment

  • Scubanomad· 13 Oct 2015

    I am looking for information of this butterflyfish. Thanks for the info!

ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

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Taxonomy

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderAcanthuriformes
  5. familyChaetodontidae
  6. genusChaetodon
  7. speciesChaetodon semilarvatus Cuvier, 1831

SourcesWoRMSFishBase

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More in the family

Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)