tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
fish
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
included here, though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.
Species
There are currently 87 recognized species in this genus:
Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include:
A–F
* (1859-1914), French rabbi
*Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur
*Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter
* (born 1972), German motor journal ...
Chaetodon robustus
The three-banded butterflyfish (''Chaetodon robustus'') is a species of fish in the family Chaetodontidae.
It inhabits the eastern-central Atlantic Ocean, in warm tropical waters from Mauritania down to Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea
The ...
Fourspot butterflyfish
The four-spotted butterflyfish or fourspot butterflyfish (''Chaetodon quadrimaculatus'') is a species of butterflyfish (family (biology), family Chaetodontidae) found in the Pacific Ocean from the Ryukyus, Ogasawara Islands, Ogasawara (Bonin) Isl ...
Teardrop butterflyfish
The teardrop butterflyfish (''Chaetodon unimaculatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the (family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Description
The teardrop butterflyfish has a whitis ...
G. Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...
, 1831 (Speckled butterflyfish, Citron butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon dolosus'' C. G. E. Ahl, 1923 (African butterflyfish)
* ''
Chaetodon guentheri
''Chaetodon guentheri'', Günther's butterflyfish or the crochet butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the Family (biology), family Chaetodontidae. It is native to The western Pacific Ocean.
Descrip ...
Gaimard
Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.
Biography
Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...
J. E. Gray
John Edward Gray, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoology, zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ...
Radcliffe
Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to:
Places
* Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan
United Kingdom
* Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town
** Radcliffe tram stop
* ...
Starck
Starck is a German surname, which means a strong, bold person, from the Middle High German ''starke'', meaning "strong" or "brave".''Dictionary of American Family Names''"Stark Family History" Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 16 January ...
, 1973 (Burgess' butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon declivis'' J. E. Randall, 1975 (Marquesas butterflyfish) (tentatively placed here)
* '' Chaetodon flavocoronatus'' R. F. Myers, 1980 (Yellow-crowned butterflyfish) (tentatively placed here)
* '' Chaetodon fremblii'' E. T. Bennett, 1828 (Blue-striped butterflyfish)
* ''
Chaetodon madagaskariensis
The Seychelles butterflyfish (''Chaetodon madagaskariensis'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family (biology), family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from eastern Africa (as far south as ...
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Ornate butterflyfish ''Chaetodon ("Citharoedus") ornatissimus''
Image:Chaetodon reticulatus by NPS.jpg, Mailed butterflyfish ''Chaetodon ("Citharoedus") reticulatus''
Image:Bep chaetodon austriacus edit.jpg,
Blacktail butterflyfish
The blacktail butterflyfish (''Chaetodon austriacus''), also known as black-tailed butterflyfish or exquisite butterflyfish, is a species marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the western ...
Oval butterflyfish
The oval butterflyfish (''Chaetodon lunulatus''), red-finned butterflyfish or redfin butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean from Eastern Indon ...
Eightband butterflyfish
The eight-banded Butterflyfish (''Chaetodon octofasciatus''), also known as the eightband butterflyfish or eight-striped butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found i ...
Chevron butterflyfish
The chevron butterflyfish (''Chaetodon trifascialis''), also known as chevroned butterflyfish, triangulate butterflyfish or V-lined butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It ...
Mirror butterflyfish
The mirror butterflyfish or oval-spot butterflyfish (''Chaetodon speculum'') is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is found in the Indo-Pacific region from Indonesia to Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef and Papua New G ...
Chaetodon reticulatus
The mailed butterflyfish (''Chaetodon reticulatus''), also known as the reticulated butterflyfish or black butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the Family (biology), family Chaetodontidae, This speci ...
Chaetodon austriacus
The blacktail butterflyfish (''Chaetodon austriacus''), also known as black-tailed butterflyfish or exquisite butterflyfish, is a species marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the western ...
Chaetodon lunulatus
The oval butterflyfish (''Chaetodon lunulatus''), red-finned butterflyfish or redfin butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to Family (biology), family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean f ...
Chaetodon melapterus
''Chaetodon melapterus'', the Arabian butterflyfish, blackfin butterflyfish, or black-finned melon butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the north western In ...
Chaetodon rainfordi
''Chaetodon rainfordi'', Rainfords's butterflyfish, also known as the gold-barred butterflyfish or the Northern butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish, belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the so ...
''
McCulloch
McCulloch is a Scottish surname. It's a variation of the Northern Irish surname McCullough. It's commonly found in Galloway.
Notable people with the surname include:
*Alan McCulloch (politician), New Zealand politician
*Alan McLeod McCulloch ( ...
Chaetodon larvatus
''Chaetodon larvatus'', commonly known as the hooded butterflyfish or orangeface butterflyfish (and with many other common names), is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the ...
'' G. Cuvier, 1831 (Hooded butterflyfish)
* ''
Chaetodon triangulum
''Chaetodon triangulum'', the triangle butterflyfish or herringbone butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the tropical Indian Ocean.
Description
''Chaetodo ...
Chaetodon bennetti
The bluelashed butterflyfish (''Chaetodon bennetti''), also known as the eclipse butterflyfish, archer butterflyfish or Bennett's butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, It i ...
Including ''Aspilurochaetodon, Chaetodontops''
Image:Chaetodon auriga by NPS.jpg,
Threadfin butterflyfish
The threadfin butterflyfish (''Chaetodon auriga'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family (biology), family Chaetodontidae. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
Distribution
''Chaetodon auriga'' is found in the Indo-P ...
Blackback butterflyfish
The black-backed butterflyfish or blackback butterflyfish (''Chaetodon melannotus'') is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is widespread through the Indo-Pacific area from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, to southern Jap ...
Lined butterflyfish
The lined butterflyfish (''Chaetodon lineolatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish. a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, one of the largest species in the genus ''Chaetodon''. It has a wide range from the Red Sea to Sou ...
Saddle butterflyfish
The saddle butterflyfish (''Chaetodon ephippium'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans from Sri Lanka and the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the ...
Chaetodon auripes
''Chaetodon auripes'', the oriental butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean off Eastern Asia.
Description
''Chaetodon auripes'' has ...
'' D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (Oriental butterflyfish) (tentatively placed here)
* '' Chaetodon collare'' Bloch, 1787 (Redtail butterflyfish, Pakistani butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon decussatus'' G. Cuvier, 1829 (Indian vagabond butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon ephippium'' G. Cuvier, 1831 (Saddle butterflyfish)
* ''
Chaetodon falcula
''Chaetodon falcula'', the blackwedged butterflyfish or falcula butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.
Description
''Chaetodon falcula'' has ...
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Chaetodon lineolatus
The lined butterflyfish (''Chaetodon lineolatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish. a butterflyfish belonging to the family (biology), family Chaetodontidae, one of the largest species in the genus ''Chaetodon''. It has a wide range from t ...
'' G. Cuvier, 1831 (Lined butterflyfish)
* ''
Chaetodon lunula
The raccoon butterflyfish (''Chaetodon lunula''), also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish, lunule butterflyfish, halfmoon butterflyfish, moon butterflyfish, raccoon butterfly, raccoon, raccoon coralfish, and redstriped butterflyfish, is ...
Chaetodon oxycephalus
The Spot-naped Butterflyfish (''Chaetodon oxycephalus''), also known as the pig-face butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish. a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo- West Pacific region from ...
Chaetodon semilarvatus
The blue-cheeked butterflyfish (''Chaetodon semilarvatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family (biology), family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
Description
The bluecheek ...
'' G. Cuvier, 1831 (Bluecheek butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon ulietensis'' G. Cuvier, 1831 (Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish, false falcula butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon vagabundus'' Linnaeus, 1758 (Vagabond butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon wiebeli'' Kaup, 1863 (Hong Kong butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon xanthocephalus'' E. T. Bennett, 1833 (Yellowhead butterflyfish) (tentatively placed here)
''Incertae sedis''
Most are probably either ''Chaetodon sensu stricto'' or ''C. robustus'' group.
* '' Chaetodon assarius'' Waite, 1905 (West Australian butterflyfish)
* '' Chaetodon dialeucos''
Salm
Salm may refer to
People
* Constance de Salm (1767–1845), poet and miscellaneous writer; through her second marriage, she became Princess of Salm-Dyck
* Salm ibn Ziyad, an Umayyad governor of Khurasan and Sijistan
* House of Salm, a European ...
Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
subgenera
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
have been proposed for splitting out of this group. It is becoming clear how the genus might be split up, with a range of
DNA sequence
DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...
data in large parts agreeing with S.D. Blum's landmark 1988
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
assessment of
osteology
Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, funct ...
.
Basically, a core group around the
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
s would be split off. These could use the names ''Lepidochaetodon'', ''Megaprotodon'' and ''Rabdophorus'', and there is one unnamed group containing the
Three-banded Butterflyfish
The three-banded butterflyfish (''Chaetodon robustus'') is a species of fish in the family Chaetodontidae.
It inhabits the eastern-central Atlantic Ocean, in warm tropical waters from Mauritania down to Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea
Th ...
(''C. robustus'') and its relatives. But the
monophyly
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic grou ...
of the ''Lepidochaetodon'' group is not fully established; it is both unclear whether ''Rhombochaetodon'' is a lineage distinct from ''Exornator'', and whether ''Lepidochaetodon'' is indeed closer to these than to any other ''Chaetodon'', particularly to some lineages otherwise placed in ''Megaprotodon''.
''
Prognathodes
''Prognathodes'' is a genus of butterflyfish in the family Chaetodontidae. They are found at rocky reefs in tropical oceans around the world and are mainly found deeper than ''Chaetodon''; often a depths below those possible in normal scuba divi ...
'', for some time contained in ''Chaetodon'', is worthy of recognition as full genus, as is ''Roa''.
Historically, more distantly related fish were placed in ''Chaetodon'' too, for resembling them in details – e.g. the
common scat
''Scatophagus argus'', the spotted scat, butterfish, mia mia, spotted butterfish or tiger scat, is a species of fish in the scat family (biology), family Scatophagidae. It occurs in two basic color morph (zoology), morphs which are called green s ...
''Scatophagus argus'', which has a similar shape and size, as well as armored larvae like the Chaetodontidae – or simply because they are colorful, smallish, and unusually-looking – e.g. the quite unrelated
paradise fish
The paradise fish, paradise-fish, paradisefish, or paradise gourami (''Macropodus opercularis'') is a species of gourami found in most types of fresh water in East Asia, ranging from the Korean Peninsula to northern Vietnam. This species can ...
, as ''C. chinensis''.
The classification proposed in Fessler and Westneat is based on the species of ''Chaetodon'' they sampled and these sorted into the following clades:
*Clade 1
**''Chaetodon robustus''
**''Chaetodon hoefleri''
*Clade 2
**''Chaetodon kleini''
**''Chaetodon unimaculatus''
**''Chaetodon fremblii''
**''Chaetodon burgessi''
**''Chaetodon xanthurus''
**''Chaetodon paucifasciatus''
**''Chaetodon mertensi''
**''Chaetodon quadrimaculatus''
**''Chaetodon citrinellus''
**''Chaetodon multicinctus''
**''Chaetodon punctatofasciatus''
**''Chaetodon pelewensis''
**''Chaetodon sedentarius''
**''Chaetodon dolosus''
**''Chaetodon miliaris''
**''Chaetodon guentheri''
*Clade 3
**''Chaetodon austriacus''
**''Chaetodon trifasciatus''
**''Chaetodon ornatissimus''
**''Chaetodon reticularis''
**''Chaetodon meyeri''
**''Chaetodon larvatus''
**''Chaetodon baronessa''
**''Chaetodon trifascialis''
**''Chaetodon rainfordi''
**''Chaetodon octofasciatus''
**''Chaetodon bennetti''
**''Chaetodon plebius''
**''Chaetodon speculum''
**''Chaetodon zanzibarensis''
*Clade 4
**''Chaetodon ocellatus''
**''Chaetodon capistratus''
**''Chaetodon striatus''
**''Chaetodon semeion''
**''Chaetodon ephippium''
**''Chaetodon selene''
**''Chaetodon melannotus''
**''Chaetodon ocellicaudus''
**''Chaetodon rafflesi''
**''Chaetodon auriga''
**''Chaetodon vagabundus''
**''Chaetodon collare''
**''Chaetodon adiergastos''
**''Chaetodon fasciatus''
**''Chaetodon lunula''
**''Chaetodon semilarvatus''
**''Chaetodon lineolatus''
**''Chaetodon oxycephalus''
**''Chaetodon falcula''
**''Chaetodon ulietensis''
Fossil record
The oldest fossils that are usually assigned to ''Chaetodon'' date from the late
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
, about 25
million years ago
The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds.
Usage
Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago). ...
. But since it is not easy to distinguish this genus from close relatives, it may be that the Oligocene fossils are actually of other Chaetodontidae. The fossil record of this family is scant indeed, only ''
Chelmon
''Chelmon'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish in the family Chaetodontidae, the butterflyfishes. They are tropical species native to the western Pacific Ocean.
Species
There are currently three recognized species in this genus:
* '' Chelmon ...
'' (or some similar genus like '' Chelmonops'' or '' Coradion'') being known from
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
remains. As even crude
molecular clock
The molecular clock is a figurative term for a technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged. The biomolecular data used for such calculations are usually nucleoti ...
s suggest that the ancestors of the ''Chaetodon'' and the ''Chelmops'' lineage diverged in the
Late Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "daw ...
already, nothing more can be said without new fossils being discovered.Paleobiology Database /ref>
Footnotes
References
* Blum, S. D. (1988): ''Osteology and Phylogeny of the Chaetodontidae (Pisces: Perciformes)''. University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
* Fessler, Jennifer L. & Westneat, Mark W. (2007): Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family. ''
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of evolutionary biology and phylogenetics. The journal is edited by E.A. Zimmer.
Indexing
The journal is indexed in:
*EMBiology
*Journal Citation Reports
*Scopus
...
'' 45(1): 50–68.
* Hsu, Kui-Ching; Chen, Jeng-Ping & Shao, Kwang-Tsao (2007): Molecular phylogeny of ''Chaetodon'' (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: evolution in geminate species pairs and species groups. ''Raffles Bulletin of Zoology'' Supplement 14: 77-86 PDF fulltext * Sepkoski, Jack (2002): 'Chaetodon'' ''In:'' A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. ''Bulletins of American Paleontology'' 364: 560 HTML database excerpt