File:Pacific_double-saddle_butterflyfish_(Chaetodon_ulietensis)_and_other_Chaetodon_Moorea.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Chaetodontidae
Sign in to saveAlso known as the butterflyfish family
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 Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. A number of species pairs occur in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, members of the huge genus Chaetodon.
Species
butterflyfishes
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassTeleostei
- OrderPerciformes
- FamilyChaetodontidae
via GBIF
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Bep chaetodon auriga pemba.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Chaetodontidae
- taxon name
- Chaetodontidae
- start time
- 72000000-0
- taxon common name
- skjellfinnefiskfamilien
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Description and ecology
- Taxonomy, systematics and evolution
- Fossil record
- Genera
- Timeline
- Gallery
- Further reading
- References
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 Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. A number of species pairs occur in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, members of the huge genus Chaetodon.
Butterflyfish look like smaller versions of angelfish (Pomacanthidae), but unlike these, lack preopercle spines at the gill covers. Some members of the genus Heniochus resemble the Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) of the monotypic Zanclidae. All three families belong to the order Acanthuriformes and share a similar habitat.