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, 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. 2022, Chaetodon trifascialis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 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 Island 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 usually starves in captivity.

Etymology

The specific name trifascialis is from the tri- (= three) and fascialis (= banded), in reference to the three vertical black band 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. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Chevron Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard 1825

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. 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., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2 (as Megaprotodon trifascialis)

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

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. & 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.

Berumen, M.L. & Pratchett, M.S. 2008. Trade-offs associated with dietary specialization in corallivorous butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae: Chaetodon). Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 62: 989-994.

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

Carpenter, K.E. & Pratchett, M. 2010. Chaetodon trifascialis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T165712A6098323. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165712A6098323.en. Accessed on 06 July 2022.

Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2

Francis, M.P. 2019. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. figshare. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4428305.v2


Gill, A.C. & Reader, S.E. 1992. Fishes. pp. 90-93, 193-228 in Hutchings, P. (ed.) Reef Biology. A Survey of Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, South Pacific. Canberra : Australian National Parks Vol. 3, Kowari 230 pp.

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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.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp.

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. 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.

Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Osborne, K. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, December 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Sciences 64 pp.


Pratchett, M.S. 2005. Dietary overlap among coral-feeding butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) at Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 148: 373-382.

Pratchett, M.S. & Berumen, M.L. 2008. Interspecific variation in ditributions and diets of coral reef butterflyfishes (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae). Journal of Fish Biology 73: 1730-1747.

Pratchett, M.S., Munday, P.L., Wilson, S.K., Graham, N.A.J., Cinner, J.E., Bellwood, D.R., Jones, G.P., Polunin, N.V.C. & McClanahan, T.R. 2008. Effects of climate-induced coral bleaching on coral reef fishes - Ecological and economic consequences. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 46: 251-296.

Pratchett, M.S., Wilson, S.K. & Baird, A.H. 2006. Declines in the abundance of Chaetodon butterflyfishes following extensive coral depletion. Journal of Fish Biology 69: 1269-1280.


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.


Samways, M.J. 2005. Breakdown of butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae) territories associated with the onset of a mass coral bleaching event. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 15(S1): S101 - S107.

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:37365058

Conservation:IUCN Near Threatened

Depth:2-12 m

Feeding:Coral polyps only

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:18 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map