WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Yellowhead Butterflyfish

Chaetodon xanthocephalus

Also known as: Coralfish, Indian Butterflyfish, Goldhead Butterflyfish, Gold-headed Butterflyfish, Goldring Butterflyfish, Xanthocephalus Butterflyfish, Yellowhead Butterfly, Yellow-headed Butterflyfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@fishx6 · Gangehi, Maldives · April 20081 / 17
01

Overview

Found singly, pairs, or in small schools, around coral heads, over coral reefs, rich in coral growth. Territorial and aggressive to other butterflyfish.

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

Pattern
lines

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03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Indian Ocean
  • Exact location · 1
  • Country only · 16
LIVES IN

Found singly, pairs, or in small schools, around coral heads, over coral reefs, rich in coral growth.

04

Adult photos 17

05

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 xanthocephalus Bennett, 1833

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)