Ovalspot Butterflyfish, Chaetodon speculum Cuvier, 1831

Scientific name: Chaetodon speculum
Alternative name/s:
Oval-spot Butterflyfish, Oval-spot Coralfish
Ovalspot Butterflyfish Click to enlarge image
An Ovalspot Butterflyfish at a depth of 10m, Cormorant Pass, off Lizard Island, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 2001. Image: Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Chaetodon
    Species
    speculum
    Family
    Chaetodontidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 18 cm in length.

Introduction

The Ovalspot Butterflyfish is yellow with a large black mark on the upper side of the body. The species occurs in the eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific.

Identification

The Ovalspot Butterflyfish is yellow with a large black mark on the upper side of the body. It has a black bar through the eye and a translucent caudal fin margin.

Habitat

The species is found on coral reefs.

Distribution

The species occurs from the eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. It is found widely throughout tropical marine waters of Australia with the exception of parts of the Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria.

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.

Feeding and diet

It eats coral polyps and small benthic invertebrates.

References

  1. Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
  2. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  3. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.