Melon butterflyfish

A pair of Indian fin butterfly fish

The Indian fin butterflyfish ( Chaetodon trifasciatus ) lives in the coral reefs of the tropical Indian Ocean from the coast of East Africa as far as Bali, where its range overlaps with that of the Pacific sister species Chaetodon lunulatus. In the Red Sea, he is replaced by Chaetodon austriacus.

Features

The Indian fin butterflyfish is 15 inches long and has an oval, almost round body shape. The muzzle is hardly ever. From its Pacific sister species it differs by the light blue base color, Chaetodon lunulatus is more yellowish, and the orange caudal peduncle. For all butterfly fish of the subgenus Corallochaetodon the tail fin edge is transparent.

Fins formula: Dorsal XIII-XIV/20-22, Anal III/18-21.

Way of life

Indian fin butterfly fish live in pairs that remain together for life, in very shallow water at depths of two to twenty meters. Preference is given to coral -rich lagoons and outer reefs protected. The fish are territorial and aggressive towards other Chaetodon species. As food specialists they feed exclusively on the polyps of hard corals, especially of Pocillopora, and the young fish live their very lives hidden from their branches.