The Indian butterflyfish (''Chaetodon mitratus''), also known as the headband butterflyfish, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a

butterflyfish The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the Atlant ...

from 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. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

Description

The Indian butterflyfish has a yellow body which has two broad, black oblique bands which run across the flanks. There is a black eye band which shades to orange below the eye. The

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s, dorsal, anal and

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

s are yellow. The dorsal fin contains 8 spines and 18–20 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 14–15 soft rays. This species attains a maximum

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

of .

Distribution

The Indian butterflyfish has a scattered distribution across the Indian Ocean and has been recorded from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in Australia, the Maldives Islands, Mauritius,

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

, Amirante Islands and Cosmoledo Island in the Seychelles and the

Chagos Archipelago The Chagos Archipelago () or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archi ...

in the

British Indian Ocean Territory The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 ...

Habitat and biology

The Indian butterflyfish is a species of relatively deep water, living at depths between , commonly at . It has been encountered in small groups of up to 5 individuals on the steep outer drop-offs of reefs, in rubble areas and among areas where

black coral Antipatharians, also known as black corals or thorn corals, are an order of soft deep-water corals. These corals can be recognized by their jet-black or dark brown chitin skeletons, surrounded by the polyps (part of coral that is alive). Antip ...

and sea fans grow. It is an oviparous species which forms pairs to breed. This species feeds on zooplankton and benthic invertebrates.

Taxonomy

The Indian butterflyfish was first formally described in 1860 by the German-born British zoologist Albert Günther (1830–1914) with the type locality given as Mauritius.

Utilisation

The Indian butterflyfish commands a high price in the aquarium trade because this deep water species is infrequently collected.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1055880 Chaetodon Fish described in 1860 Taxa named by Albert Günther