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Butterflyfishes of the Genus Chaetodon

Part 2 of 4, Medium Choices

By Bob Fenner

Chaetodon unimaculata

Butterflyfishes for Marine
Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
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by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Medium Chaetodon Choices: About half live three months as of capture in the wild:

Chaetodon auripes Jordan & Snyder 1901, the Oriental Butterflyfish. Western Pacific coasts from Taiwan to Japan. A cooler water species. To about 8 inches in length, if it lives... Easily damaged in (rare) shipments from the orient.

No image as of yet available

Chaetodon citrinellus Cuvier 1831, the Speckled Butterflyfish. Aggressive in the wild, this is another broad feeder of invertebrates, including corals. Widely distributed and common, though never plentiful in the mid-Pacific all the way over to Africa. To five inches overall. An adult in the Cooks at right, and one in Fiji below.

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Chaetodon ephippium Cuvier 1831, the Saddleback Butterflyfish. To a large size (9") and too often collected too large for aquarium use (get one 3-4" best). Central and western Pacific. Very nice out of Hawai'i for use in the U.S. Broad feeder on benthic invertebrates including coral polyps. Aquarium, Fiji, and N. Sulawesi images.

Verticals (Full/Cover Page Sizes Available)

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Chaetodon fremblii Bennett 1828, the Blue-Striped Butterflyfish. A relic species confined in range to the Hawaiian Islands. Opportunistic feeder on benthic invertebrates including corals. To five inches total length. Pictured here in captivity; and Hawaiian specimens during day and night by RMF.

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Chaetodon guttatissimus Bennett 1832, the Spotted Butterflyfish. Some folks rate this species higher for aquarium use, but it takes a beating often in transit, especially its small mouth. Tropical Indian Ocean. To five inches long. Generalized feeder on invertebrates (including coral polyps), and algae. A juvenile and adult in the Maldives.

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Chaetodon interruptus Ahl 1923, the Yellow Teardrop Butterflyfish. Put one way, the "replacement" for C. unimaculatus in the Indian Ocean. Similarly feeds on coral polyps, sponges and algae. Retains this striking color and black spot as an adult. This small one in Mauritius in 2016.

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Chaetodon selene Bleeker 1853, the Yellow-dotted Butterflyfish. Western Pacific; Philippines, New Guinea, Indonesia... To 16 cm. Found near steep drop-offs. Generally in pairs as adults, single juveniles. Feed on benthic invertebrates. N. Sulawesi photo of an adult.

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Chaetodon unimaculatus Bloch 1787, the Teardrop Butterflyfish. Often, too often imported from Indonesia, the Philippines and even Hawai'i... like the similar Indian Ocean species of the same common name this is an "iffy" fish that mainly perishes due to the rigors of human (mis)handling. Shown: at right: Juveniles of two and three inches in Hawaii and the Cooks. Below:

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Chaetodon wiebeli Kaup 1863, Wiebel's Butterflyfish. Eastern Asian coasts from Thailand northeasternward to southern Japan. To about seven inches long. Very rare in the trade in the west. This one photographed off of Pulau Redang, Malaysia.	Couldn't convert current scans
Chaetodon xanthocephalus Bennett 1832, the Yellow-Head Butterflyfish. Closely related to the Saddleback, C. ephippium, and can be just as hardy if collected/held/shipped carefully... from further away in the Indian Ocean (India's tip to Africa's east coast) and started smallish (3-5 inches max., to eight overall)

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To: Good, Poor & Unknown Chaetodon Choices pages: Split up to save download time... for now.

Butterflyfishes for Marine
Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available here

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

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