Animal Species:Eight-banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon octofasciatus (Bloch, 1787)
The Eight-banded Butterflyfish has a yellow to white body with eight black bands. The fish occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific.
An Eight-banded Butterflyfish at Redang Island, Malaysia
Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl
Identification
The Eight-banded Butterflyfish has a yellow to white body with eight black bands. It has a black stripe along the top of the snout and a clear caudal fin margin.
Size range
The species grows to 12 cm in length.
Distribution
The Eight-banded Butterflyfish is found in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it is known only from offshore islands of north-western Western Australia.
The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.
Distribution by collection data
Ozcam map of Eight-banded Butterflyfish specimens in the Australian Museum.
Feeding and Diet
The Eight-banded Butterflyfish eats coral polyps.
Classification
- Species:
- octofasciatus
- Genus:
- Chaetodon
- Family:
- Chaetodontidae
- Order:
- Perciformes
- Class:
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
- Allen, G.R. 1993. Reef Fishes of New Guinea. A Field Guide for Divers, Anglers and Naturalists. Christensen Research Institute. No. 8. Pp. 132.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
Mark McGrouther
, Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:
Tags fishes, ichthyology, Chaetodon octofasciatus, Eight-banded Butterflyfish, black, white, yellow, 'normal fish', 10 cm - 30 cm, stripes or bands, tropical, marine, adult,
