Meyer's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider 1801


Other Names: Maypole Butterflyfish, Meyer's Coralfish, Meyer's Coralfish, Scrawled Butterflyfish

Meyer's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri, at Sulawesi, Indonesia. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A whitish to greyish butterflyfish with dark diagonal stripes that curve posteriorly, a yellow-edged bar behind the mouth and one through the eye. 

Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray, Chaetodon meyeri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2388

Meyer's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider 1801

More Info


Distribution

Rottnest Island to Ningaloo Reef, also Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef, Western Australia, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland; also at Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas islands, Indian Ocean. The species occurs elsewhere in the Indo-west-central Pacific. 
Inhabits clear rich-coral areas in lagoons and on seaward reefs. 

Feeding

An obligate corallivore - may feed on coral mucus, rather than coral tissue.

Species Citation

Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider, 1801, Systema Ichthyologiae: 223. Type locality: Ambon, Moluccas.

Author

Dianne J. Bray

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Meyer's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider 1801

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

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. figs.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin 584 pp. 110 pls.

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

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp.

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202.

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219.

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.

Myers, R. & Pratchett, M. 2010. Chaetodon meyeri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. . Downloaded on 16 August 2015.

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

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. figs.

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

Steene, R.C. 1978. Butterfly and Angelfishes of the World. Australia. Sydney : A.H. & A.W. Reed Vol. 1 144 pp. 216 figs.


Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37365045

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:2-25 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish (rare)

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:18 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map