Chaetodon unimaculatus

(Bloch, 1787)

Vernacular names
English : Teardrop butterflyfish
French : Poisson papillon à larme du Pacifique

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Acanthuriformes (sometimes still Perciformes)
Family : Chaetodontidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
The species grows to 20 cm. Black band from forehead to cheeks. Black band from dorsal fin edge to tail peduncle and anal fin. Flanks white with yellow upper back, black teardrop-shaped blotch. Vertical stripes on forward half of body.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific area, from Christmas and Cocos Keeling islands to Polynesia and Hawaii, to south Japan and north Australia. Lives in coral reef flats, lagoons and seaward reefs, down to 60 meters deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a large range and isn’t fully dependent on corals, allowing it to thrive even in areas where coral populations have been depleted.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

Back to “Butterflyfishes” page