WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Ocellate Coralfish

Parachaetodon ocellatus

Also known as: Coralfish, Eyespot Butterflyfish, Eyespot Coralfish, False Batfish, Four-banded Butterflyfish, Kite Butterflyfish, Kite Coralfish, Ocellate Butteflyfish, Ocellated Butterflyfish, Ocellated Coral, Ocellated Coralfish, Sixspine Butterflyfish, Sixspine Coralfish, Six-spined Butterflyfish, Six-spined Coralfish, Spotfin Butterflyfish, Spotfin Coralfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@WhatsTheSnorkellingLike · Australia · February 20141 / 1
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Overview

Found singly, pairs and in large schools over flat sand silty bottoms of coastal reefs.
Juveniles found in seagrass beds and large lagoons.
Ocellated spot seems to disappear with age.
Widespread Indo-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.

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How to identify

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found singly, pairs and in large schools over flat sand silty bottoms of coastal reefs.

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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. genusParachaetodon
    7. speciesParachaetodon ocellatus (Cuvier, 1831)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)