Mertens' Butterflyfish, Chaetodon mertensii Cuvier 1831

Other Names: Atoll Butterflyfish, Keel-finned Butterfly-fish, Merten's Butterflyfish, Merten's Coralfish, Orangebar Butterflyfish

Mertens' Butterflyfish, Chaetodon mertensii, in Fiji. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

A whitish butterfly fish with dark grey chevron-shaped bars on the sides, a broad bright yellow to yellowish-orange bar across the rear of the body, a black bar through the eye, and a large dark smudge on the forehead.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2018, Chaetodon mertensii in Fishes of Australia, accessed 13 Sep 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2387

Mertens' Butterflyfish, Chaetodon mertensii Cuvier 1831

More Info

Distribution	Known in the Australian region from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to at least Sydney, New South Wales; also the Lord Howe region and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, western-central Pacific, including the Kermadecs, New Zealand. Inhabits deeper lagoons and seaward reefs.
Feeding	Omnivore - feeds on algae and benthic invertebrates including coral polyps.
Fisheries	Frequently collected in parts of its range for the aquarium industry.
Species Citation	Chaetodon mertensii Cuvier, 1831, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 7: 47. Type locality: unknown.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Mertens' Butterflyfish, Chaetodon mertensii Cuvier 1831

References

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Allen, G. & Myers, R. 2010. Chaetodon mertensii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. . Downloaded on 15 August 2015.

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

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

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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. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 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.