Chevron Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard 1825

Other Names: Acropora Butterfly, Chevroned Butterflyfish, Rightangle Butterflyfish, Right-angled Butterfly-fish, Triangulate Butterflyfish, V-lined Butterflyfish

A Chevron Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifascialis, night time coloration, at Signal Point, Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea. Source: Graham Edgar / Reef Life Survey. License: CC BY Attribution

Summary:

A white butterflyfish with black chevron markings on the side, a pale-edged black bar through the eye, a black caudal fin with a broad yellow submarginal band, and yellow dorsal and anal fins.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Chaetodon trifascialis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2402

Chevron Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard 1825

More Info

Distribution	Houtman Abrolhos to Beagle Reef, and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to Arrawarra, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits rich coral areas with tabular Acropora corals.
Features	Dorsal fin XIII-XIV,14-16; Anal fin IV-V,13-15; Pectoral fin 13-15; Lateral-line scales 22-29. Body depth 1.7-2.2 in SL.
Feeding	An obligate corallivore - feeds exclusively on the polyps of Acropora corals, especially Acropora hyacinthus.
Fisheries	Although occasionally collected for the aquarium industry, the Chevron Butterflyfish is extremely difficult to keep in captivity as it feeds exclusively on polyps of Acropora corals.
Etymology	The specific name trifascialis is from the Latin tri- (= three) and fascialis (= banded), in reference to the three vertical black bands on the head, body and caudal fin of juveniles.
Species Citation	Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard 1825, Voyage autour du monde: 379, Pl. 62 (fig. 5). Type locality: Guam.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Chevron Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard 1825

References

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