# Butterflyfish > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Butterflyfish > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Butterflyfish.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterflyfish > Source revision: 1351759637 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae}} {{hatnote group| {{Redirect|Butterfly Fish|the novel|Butterfly Fish (novel)}} {{About||an unrelated species|Freshwater butterflyfish}} }} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Saltwater butterflyfishes | fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Early Oligocene|present}} | image = Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish (Chaetodon ulietensis) and other Chaetodon Moorea.jpg | image_caption = [Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish](/source/Pacific_double-saddle_butterflyfish),
[vagabond butterflyfish](/source/vagabond_butterflyfish),
[threadfin butterflyfish](/source/threadfin_butterflyfish) | taxon = Chaetodontidae | authority = [Rafinesque](/source/Constantine_Samuel_Rafinesque), 1810 | subdivision_ranks = [Genera](/source/Genera) | subdivision = About 10, see text | synonyms = Chaetodontinae (but see text) }} The '''butterflyfish''' are a group of conspicuous [tropical](/source/tropical) [marine](/source/ocean) [fish](/source/fish) of the family '''Chaetodontidae'''; the '''bannerfish''' and '''coralfish''' are also included in this group. The approximately 129 [species](/source/species) in 12 [genera](/source/genera){{cite web|url=http://www.fishbase.org/summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=343|title=FAMILY Details for Chaetodontidae - Butterflyfishes|website=www.fishbase.org}} are found mostly on the [reef](/source/reef)s of the [Atlantic](/source/Atlantic_Ocean), [Indian](/source/Indian_Ocean), and [Pacific Ocean](/source/Pacific_Ocean)s. A number of [species pair](/source/species_pair)s occur in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, members of the huge genus ''[Chaetodon](/source/Chaetodon)''. Butterflyfish look like smaller versions of angelfish ([Pomacanthidae](/source/Pomacanthidae)), but unlike these, lack [preopercle](/source/preopercle) spines at the [gill cover](/source/gill_cover)s. Some members of the genus ''[Heniochus](/source/Heniochus)'' resemble the [Moorish idol](/source/Moorish_idol) (''Zanclus cornutus'') of the [monotypic](/source/monotypic) Zanclidae. All three families belong to the order [Acanthuriformes](/source/Acanthuriformes) and share a similar habitat. ==Description and ecology== [[File:Heniochus diphreutes Maldives.JPG|alt=Fish bearing two strong black stripes separated by one strong white stripe with long white tendril as dorsal fin|thumb|A [school](/source/Shoaling_and_schooling) of [false Moorish idol](/source/false_Moorish_idol)s, ''Heniochus diphreutes'']] Butterflyfish mostly range from {{Convert|12|to|22|cm|abbr=on}} in length. The largest species, the [lined butterflyfish](/source/lined_butterflyfish) and the [saddle butterflyfish](/source/saddle_butterflyfish), ''C. ephippium'', grow to {{Convert|30|cm|abbr=on}}. The common name references the brightly coloured and strikingly patterned bodies of many species, bearing shades of black, white, blue, red, orange, and yellow. Other species are dull in colour. Butterflyfish are a boundless, different group of marine percoids with delegates on practically all coral reef frameworks and in every single tropical ocean. Their bright and color patterns have drawn in much consideration, creating an abundance of data about their conduct and environment.Smith, W. (2003). The evolution of the laterophysic connection with a revised phylogeny and taxonomy of butterflyfishes (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae). Cladistics the International Journal of the Willi Hennig Society., 19(4), 287–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0748-3007(03)00070-7 Many have [eyespot](/source/Eyespot_(mimicry))s on their flanks and dark bands across their eyes, not unlike the patterns seen on [butterfly](/source/butterfly) wings. {{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author1=Johnson, G.D. |author2=Gill, A.C. |year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 184|isbn= 978-0-12-547665-2}} Their deep, [lateral](/source/Anatomical_terms_of_location)ly narrow bodies are easily noticed through the profusion of reef life. The conspicuous coloration of butterflyfish may be intended for interspecies communication. Butterflyfish have uninterrupted [dorsal fin](/source/dorsal_fin)s with [tail fin](/source/Fish_anatomy)s that may be rounded or truncated, but are never forked. Generally [diurnal](/source/Diurnality) and frequenting waters less than {{Convert|18|m|abbr=on}} deep (though some species descend to {{Convert|180|m|abbr=on}}, butterflyfish stick to particular home ranges. These [corallivore](/source/corallivore)s are especially territorial, forming pairs and staking claim to a specific coral head. Contrastingly, the [zooplankton](/source/zooplankton) feeders form large conspecific groups. By night, butterflyfish hide in reef crevices and exhibit markedly different coloration. Their coloration also makes them popular [aquarium](/source/aquarium) fish. However, most species feed on [coral](/source/coral) [polyp](/source/polyp_(zoology))s and [sea anemone](/source/sea_anemone)s. Balancing the relative populations of prey and predator is complex, leading hobby aquarists to focus on the few generalists and specialist [zooplankton](/source/zooplankton) feeders. Butterflyfish are pelagic spawners; that is, they release many buoyant eggs into the water, which become part of the [plankton](/source/plankton), floating with the currents until hatching. The fry go through a tholichthys stage, wherein the body of the post[larva](/source/larva)l fish is covered in large, bony plates extending from the head. They lose their bony plates as they mature. Only one other family of fish, the scats ([Scatophagidae](/source/Scatophagidae)) express such an armored stage. ==Taxonomy, systematics and evolution== {{Easy CSS image crop|Image=Triptych of sea.jpg|desired_width=250|align=right|crop_top_perc=20|crop_right_perc=30|crop_left_perc=25|crop_bottom_perc=25|caption=[Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish](/source/Red_Sea_raccoon_butterflyfish) (''Chaetodon fasciatus'') and [Red Sea bannerfish](/source/Red_Sea_bannerfish) (''Heniochus intermedius'') with a [moon jelly](/source/moon_jelly)}} The Chaetodontidae can be, but are not usually, divided into two lineages that arguably are [subfamilies](/source/subfamilies). The subfamily name '''Chaetodontinae''' is a little-used leftover from the period when the [Pomacanthidae](/source/Pomacanthidae) and Chaetodontidae were united under the latter name as a single family. Hence, Chaetodontinae is today considered a [junior synonym](/source/junior_synonym) of Chaetodontidae. In any case, one lineage of Chaetodontidae (in the modern sense) contains the "typical" butterflyfish around ''Chaetodon'', while the other unites the bannerfish and coralfish [genera](/source/genera). As the [Perciformes](/source/Perciformes) are highly [paraphyletic](/source/paraphyletic), the precise relationships of the Chaetodontidae as a whole are badly resolved.Fessler & Westneat (2007) Chaetodontidae is classified within the [suborder](/source/suborder) [Percoidei](/source/Percoidei) by the 5th edition of ''[Fishes of the World](/source/Fishes_of_the_World)'', but they are placed in an unnamed [clade](/source/clade) which sits outside the [superfamily](/source/Superfamily_(biology)) [Percoidea](/source/Percoidea). This clade contains 7 families which appear to have some relationship to [Acanthuroidei](/source/Acanthuroidei), [Monodactylidae](/source/Monodactylidae), and [Priacanthidae](/source/Priacanthidae).{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=453 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2020-11-19 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }} Other authorities have paced the family in the order [Chaetodontiformes](/source/Chaetodontiformes) alongside the family [Leiognathidae](/source/Leiognathidae).{{cite journal | author1 = R. Betancur-Rodriguez | author2 = E. Wiley | author3 = N. Bailly | author4 = A. Acero | author5 = M. Miya | author6 = G. Lecointre | author7 = G. Ortí | doi = 10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3 | title = Phylogenetic Classification of Bony Fishes – Version 4 | year = 2017 | journal = BMC Evolutionary Biology | volume = 17 | issue = 162| page = 162 | pmid = 28683774 | pmc = 5501477 | doi-access = free }} Presently, based on the most recent phylogenetic analyses, ''[Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes](/source/Eschmeyer's_Catalog_of_Fishes)'' places it in the large, diverse order [Acanthuriformes](/source/Acanthuriformes).{{Cite web |last1=Fricke |first1=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}} Molecular analyses suggest that the Chaetodontidae shared a common ancestor with the [Scatophagidae](/source/Scatophagidae) and [Pomacanthidae](/source/Pomacanthidae) that lived during the [Early Eocene](/source/Ypresian) (54 Ma).{{Cite journal |last1=Marrama' |first1=Giuseppe |last2=Giusberti |first2=Luca |last3=Carnevale |first3=Giorgio |date=2022-04-28 |title=A Rupelian Coral Reef Fish Assemblage from the Venetian Southern Alps (Berici Hills, Ne Italy) |journal=Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |language=en |volume=128 |issue=2 |doi=10.54103/2039-4942/16601 |issn=2039-4942|doi-access=free |hdl=11577/3443920 |hdl-access=free }} Before [DNA sequencing](/source/DNA_sequencing), the [taxonomy](/source/Taxonomy_(biology)) was confused about whether to treat these as species or [subspecies](/source/subspecies). Also, numerous [subgenera](/source/subgenera) have been proposed for splitting out of ''Chaetodon'', and it is becoming clear how to subdivide the genus if that is desired.Fessler & Westneat (2007), Hsu ''et al.'' (2007) === Fossil record === The [fossil](/source/fossil) record of this group is disputed and marginal. Their restriction to [coral reef](/source/coral_reef)s means their carcasses are liable to be dispersed by [scavenger](/source/scavenger)s, overgrown by [coral](/source/coral)s, and any that do fossilize will not long survive [erosion](/source/erosion). Many [Eocene](/source/Eocene)-aged fish such as ''[Pygaeus](/source/Pygaeus)'' have been variously referred to Chaetodontidae in the past; if used for calibration, it can be deduced that most living genera were probably distinct by the end of the [Paleogene](/source/Paleogene) 23 Mya.Sepkoski (2002), Fessler & Westneat (2007) However, these Eocene genera cannot be reliably referred to Chaetodontidae. The earliest confirmed fossil specimens of Chaetodontidae are an indeterminate larval specimen from [Frauenweiler](/source/Frauenweiler), Germany, two tholichthys specimens from the [Menilite Formation](/source/Menilite_Formation) of Poland, as well as the extinct species ''[Chaetodon (Blumchaetodon) wattsi](/source/Chaetodon_wattsi)'' from Italy; all date to the [Early Oligocene](/source/Early_Oligocene). The occurrence of the first confirmed butterflyfish in the Early Oligocene is supported by molecular phylogenies indicating that the family may have arose during the [Late Eocene](/source/Late_Eocene). ===Genera=== The family can be divided in two groups (the bannerfish-coralfish lineage and the butterflyfish lineage) considered distinct subfamilies by ''[Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes](/source/Eschmeyer's_Catalog_of_Fishes)'':{{FishBase family|family=Chaetodontidae|month=February|year=2013}}{{Cof family|family=Chaetodontidae|access-date=3 September 2025}} * Family '''Chaetodontidae''' [Rafinesque](/source/Constantine_Samuel_Rafinesque), 1815 ** Subfamily [Heniochinae](/source/Heniochinae) [Kaup](/source/Johann_Jakob_Kaup), 1860 (bannerfishes and coralfishes) *** ''[Amphichaetodon](/source/Amphichaetodon)'' [Burgess](/source/Warren_E._Burgess), 1978 *** ''[Coradion](/source/Coradion)'' [Kaup](/source/Johann_Jakob_Kaup), 1860 *** ''[Chelmon](/source/Chelmon)'' [Cloquet](/source/Hippolyte_Cloquet), 1817 *** ''[Chelmonops](/source/Chelmonops)'' [Bleeker](/source/Pieter_Bleeker), 1876 *** ''[Forcipiger](/source/Forcipiger)'' [Jordan](/source/David_Starr_Jordan) & [McGregor](/source/Ernest_Alexander_McGregor), 1898 *** ''[Hemitaurichthys](/source/Hemitaurichthys)'' Bleeker, 1876 *** ''[Heniochus](/source/Heniochus)'' [Cuvier](/source/Georges_Cuvier), 1816 *** ''[Johnrandallia](/source/Johnrandallia)'' [Nalbant](/source/Teodor_T._Nalbant), 1974 ** Subfamily [Chaetodontinae](/source/Chaetodontinae) Rafinesque, 1815 *** ''[Chaetodon](/source/Chaetodon)'' [Linnaeus](/source/Carolus_Linn%C3%A6us), 1758 *** ''[Prognathodes](/source/Prognathodes)'' [Gill](/source/Theodore_Gill), 1862 ** Subfamily ''[incertae sedis](/source/incertae_sedis)'' *** ''[Parachaetodon](/source/Parachaetodon)'' Bleeker, 1874 *** ''[Roa](/source/Roa_(fish))'' Jordan, 1923 ===Timeline=== ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-66 till:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:-66 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-66 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:cenozoic value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258) id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) id:neogene value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1) id:miocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0) id:pliocene value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68) id:quaternary value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5) id:pleistocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68) id:holocene value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88) BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:NAM2 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -66 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:[Paleocene](/source/Paleocene) from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:[Eocene](/source/Eocene) from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:[Oligocene](/source/Oligocene) from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:[Miocene](/source/Miocene) from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text:[Plio.](/source/Plio.) from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:[Pleist.](/source/Pleist.) from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text:[H.](/source/Holocene) bar:eratop from: -66 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:[Paleogene](/source/Paleogene) from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:[Neogene](/source/Neogene) from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text:[Q.](/source/Quaternary) PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:oligocene bar:NAM1 from: -28.4 till: 0 text: [Chaetodon](/source/Chaetodon) color:miocene bar:NAM2 from: -23.03 till: 0 text: [Chelmon](/source/Chelmon) PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -66 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:[Paleocene](/source/Paleocene) from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:[Eocene](/source/Eocene) from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:[Oligocene](/source/Oligocene) from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:[Miocene](/source/Miocene) from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text:[Plio.](/source/Plio.) from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:[Pleist.](/source/Pleist.) from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text:[H.](/source/Holocene) bar:era from: -66 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:[Paleogene](/source/Paleogene) from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:[Neogene](/source/Neogene) from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text:[Q.](/source/Quaternary) ==Gallery== Image:Seattle Aquarium, 1.JPG|[Copperband butterflyfish](/source/Copperband_butterflyfish), ''Chelmon rostratus'' Image:Johnrandallia nigrirostris.jpg|The enigmatic ''[Johnrandallia nigrirostris](/source/Johnrandallia_nigrirostris)'' Image:Chaetodon kleinii.jpg|[Sunburst butterflyfish](/source/Sunburst_butterflyfish), (sometimes placed in ''Lepidochaetodon'') Image:Bep chaetodon bennetti.jpg|[Bluelashed butterflyfish](/source/Bluelashed_butterflyfish), ''Chaetodon bennetti'' (sometimes placed in ''Megaprotodon'') ==Further reading== * Pratchett, Morgan S. & Berumen, Michael L. & Kapoor, B.G. [Editors] : ''Biology of Butterflyfishes.'' CRC Press, 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-4665-8290-3}} ==References== ;General * {{Aut|Fessler, Jennifer L. & Westneat, Mark W.}} (2007): Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family. ''[Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.](/source/Molecular_Phylogenetics_and_Evolution)'' '''45'''(1): 50–68. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.018}} (HTML abstract) * {{Aut|[FishBase](/source/FishBase)}} [2008]: [http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?ID=343 Family Chaetodontidae – Butterflyfishes]. Retrieved 2008-SEP-02. *{{cite journal |url=http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s14/s14rbz10_Hsu-pp77-86.pdf |title= Molecular phylogeny of ''Chaetodon'' (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: evolution in geminate species pairs and species groups |last1=Ching Hsu |first1=Kui|last2=Ping Chen |first2=Jeng|last3=Tsao Shao |first3=Kwang|date= 31 January 2007 |journal= Academia Sinica and National University of Singapore |volume= 14 |page= 77-86 |access-date= 16 April 2026 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070811042056/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s14/s14rbz10_Hsu-pp77-86.pdf |archive-date= 11 August 2007 }} Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 2007 * {{Aut|Sepkoski, Jack}} (2002): [''Chaetodon'']. ''In:'' A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. ''Bulletins of American Paleontology'' '''364''': 560. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090220223520/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class HTML database excerpt] ;Specific {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Chaetodontidae}} * {{wti}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q271004}} {{Authority control}} Category:Chaetodontidae Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines Category:Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Category:Extant Rupelian first appearances --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Butterflyfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterflyfish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterflyfish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.