Spot-tail Butterflyfish, Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier 1831


Other Names: Spot-tail Butterfly Fish, Spottail Butterflyfish, Spot-tail Coralfish, Tail-spot Butterflyfish

A Spot-tail Butterflyfish, Chaetodon ocellicaudus, at Madang, Papua New Guinea, February 2010. Source: Jan Messersmith / www.messersmith.name/wordpress/. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A whitish butterflyfish encircled in yellow, with many diagonal black stripes, a black bar through the eye, and a black spot on the caudal peduncle.

Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray, Chaetodon ocellicaudus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2389

Spot-tail Butterflyfish, Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier 1831

More Info


Distribution

Scott Reef, Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef to Moreton Bay, Queensland; also reefs in the Coral Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west Pacific - from northern Borneo (Malaysia) and Java to the Solomon Islands and north throughout the Philippines and south to Scott/Seringapatam reefs off the northwest Australian shelf and northern Great Barrier Reef.

Inhabits coral-rich areas of lagoons and outer reefs, most commonly on steep outer reef slopes and in reef crest channels. Occurs singly or in pairs, at depths of 1-50 m. 

Features

Dorsal fin XIII, 19-20; Anal fin III, 17-18; Pectoral fin 13-14; Lateral-line scales 29-34.

Feeding

An obligate corallivore - feeds only on coral polyps, mostly soft corals.

Fisheries

The species is occasionally traded in the aquarium industry.

Conservation

As this species relies on live coral for food and recruitment, populations are likely to be affected by habitat loss, including coral bleaching due to warming oceans.

Similar Species

The Spot-tail Butterflyfish differs from the very similar Black-backed Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus), in having a paler back, usually 14 (vs 15) pectoral-fin rays, a black spot (vs a black saddle) on the caudal peduncle, and no black marking on the anterior base of the anal fin.

Species Citation

Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier 1831, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 7: 69. No type locality given.

Author

Dianne J. Bray

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Spot-tail Butterflyfish, Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier 1831

References


Allen, G.R. 1980. Butterfly and Angelfishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons Vol. 2 pp. 149-352 figs 214-510.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & Allen, M. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Cairns : Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research 250 pp.

Burgess, W.E. 1978. Butterflyfishes of the World. New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications Inc. 832 pp.

Cuvier, G.L. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1831. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 7 531 pp. pls 170-208.

Fessler, J.L. & Westneat, M.W. 2007. Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45(1): 50–68. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.018  Abstract 

Hsu, K-C., Chen, J-P. & Shao, K-T. 2007. Molecular phylogeny of Chaetodon (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: evolution in geminate species pairs and species groups. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 14: 77-86. PDF Open Access

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Biodiversity of shallow reef fish assemblages in Western Australia using a rapid censusing technique. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 247-270.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 2002. Butterflyfishes, Bannerfishes and their Relatives. Chorleywood, U.K. : TMC Publishing 208 pp.

Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 pp.

Myers, R. & Pratchett, M. 2010.Chaetodon ocellicaudus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T165676A6088487. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165676A6088487.en. Downloaded on 23 May 2016.

Pyle, R. 2001. Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae. pp. 3224-3286 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37365046

Conservation:IUCN Data Deficient

Depth:1-50 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:14 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map