The mailed butterflyfish (''Chaetodon reticulatus''), also known as the reticulated butterflyfish or black butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, 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 ...

belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, This species is found on reefs in the central and western Pacific Ocean. It can be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

Description

The mailed butterflyfish is a relatively dull-coloured species of butterflyfish and it has a mainly blackish body with light grey centres to the scales and a pale back. It has a broad vertical band with yellow edges which runs through the eye with a broad, white vertical band behind that. The dorsal fin is white, the

anal 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 ...

. The caudal peduncle is black, while the caudal fin is whitish blue with a yellow band on the margin which itself has a black submargin. The tail of juveniles is transparent. The dorsal fin has 12-13 spines and 23-29 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 20-22 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of .

Distribution

The mailed butterflyfish has a wide distribution in the western central Pacific, and it is found from Taiwan and the Philippines through Polynesia as far as Hawaii, the Marquesas Islands and the

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...

. It extends north as far as the Ryukyu Islands south to

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. In Australia, it is found on the Great Barrier Reef with juveniles as far south as the Solitary Islands.

Habitat and biology

The mailed butterflyfish is a relatively common species of exposed seaward reefs, but it may also be found in sheltered lagoon areas, where there is a rich growth of corals and clear water. The juveniles prefer more protected waters than the adults. It is normally encountered in pairs, but schools have been recorded. These fish live at depths between and are obligate corallivores that feed mainly on the species in the genus ''

Acropora ''Acropora'' is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral. Over 149 species are described. ''Acropora'' species are some of the major reef corals r ...

''. This species is oviparous and they breed in monogamous pairs.

Taxonomy

The mailed butterflyfish was first formally Species description in 1831 by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

anatomist Georges Cuvier, with the type locality given as Tahiti. It is a close relative of the

ornate butterflyfish The ornate butterflyfish (''Chaetodon ornatissimus''), or clown butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish in the family Chaetodontidae. The ornate butterflyfish is a close relative of the mailed butterflyfish (''C. r ...

(''C. ornatissimus'') and the

scrawled butterflyfish The scrawled butterflyfish (''Chaetodon meyeri''), also known as Meyer's butterflyfish or the maypole butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian and P ...

(''C. meyeri''). Together they make up the subgenus called “Citharoedus”, but as this name had already been used for the mollusc genus when given to the fish, it is invalid. They are probably close to the subgenus ''Corallochaetodon'', which contains the

Melon Butterflyfish The melon butterflyfish (''Chaetodon trifasciatus'') or the Indian redfin butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Western ...

(''C. trifasciatus''). Like these, they might be separated into ''Megaprotodon'' if the genus ''

Chaetodon ''Chaetodon'' is a tropical fish genus in the family Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living species included here, though most migh ...

'' is split up.

Utilisation

The mailed butterflyfish occasionally appears in the aquarium trade but its specialised diet means that captive specimens frequently starve to death.

References

External links

*
SeaDB article
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2064065 Chaetodon Fish of Palau Fish described in 1831 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier