WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Millet Butterflyfish

Chaetodon miliaris

Also known as: Coralfish, Crochet Butterflyfish, Lemon Butterfly, Lemon Butterflyfish, Milletseed Butterflyfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@rgarcia9996 · zoo, Unknown Region · February 20191 / 1
01

Overview

Found in pairs, or schools, over shallow reef flats, and seamounts.
They feed in midwater on benthic invertebrates and plankton.
Eastern Central Pacific - Hawaii, Johnston Island

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

Fins & Tail
tail spot
Head & Mouth
eye bar

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Eastern Central Pacific
LIVES IN

Found in pairs, or schools, over shallow reef flats, and seamounts.

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Adult photos 1

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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 miliaris Quoy & Gaimard, 1825

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)