Oval butterflyfish
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| Redfin butterflyfish | ||||||||||||||
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| Chaetodon lunulatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 |
The oval butterflyfish or redfin butterflyfish, Chaetodon lunulatus, is a member of the Chaetodontidae.
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[edit] Range
Found in the Pacific Ocean from Eastern Indonesia to the Hawaiian islands. This is one species of a closely related group which includes the Blacktail butterflyfish which is found in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the Melon butterflyfish which is found in the Indian Ocean.[1]
[edit] Description
Growing to a maximum of 15cm long, these monogamous fish swim in pairs and may be territorial and aggressive to other Chaetodon. They are oviparous.[1]
[edit] Diet
Oval butterflyfish feed exclusively on coral polyps. [1]
[edit] Habitat
The Oval butterflyfish is found at depths between 2 and 20m, in coral-rich lagoons and semi-protected seaward reefs. Small juveniles are secretive and hide in corals.[1]
[edit] Similar species
The blacktail butterflyfish is similar but has black anal fin and tail. The similar species melon butterflyfish Chaetodon trifasciatus occurs in the Indian rather than the Pacific ocean. [1] It is distinguished by having a larger black thickening of one of the lines on the back and a mainly yellow anal fin.
