Threadfin Butterflyfish

Q: Where can you find Threadfin Butterflyfish?

Threadfin Butterflyfish can be found in: Egypt East, Laccadive Islands, Mariana Islands, Australia West, Saudi Arabia West, Oman North, Malaysia East, Taiwan, Easter Island, Australia North, Marshall Islands, Malaysia West, Hawaii, Somalia East, Vanuatu, Sudan, Brunei, China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Kenya, Qatar, India, Israel, USA West, Japan South, India East, India West, Thailand East, Thailand West, Israel South, Saudi Arabia East, Oman, Oman East, Somalia North, Australia East, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Vietnam, Seychelles, Cambodia, Indo-Pacific, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Polynesia, Singapore, Tanzania, Malaysia, Kuwait, Bahrain, USA, South Africa, Red Sea, Japan, Indonesia, Chagos Islands, Mozambique, Jordan, Palau, Philippines, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Micronesia, Egypt, Tonga and Samoa, Yemen, Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, Kiribati, Pakistan, Djibouti, Iran South, United Arab Emirates, Comoros, Fiji, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Somalia.

Chaetodon auriga

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Max Depth

60 m

Chaetodon auriga is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae).

Description

Chaetodon auriga is up to 23 centimetres (9 in) long. Its body is white with `chevron' markings on the side. Tear edge of the dorsal fin has a prominent black spot, and a prominent black vertical band runs through the eye. The rear of soft-dorsal fin has a trailing filament, and it has a belly patch of descending oblique dark lines as well as bright yellow fins. Two subspecies are sometimes recognised: Chaetodon auriga auriga occurs in the Red Sea population and lacks the dorsal eyespot; Chaetodon auriga setifer is the spotted population occurring outside the Red Sea.

Distribution

Chaetodon auriga is found in the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea and eastern Africa (south to Mossel Bay, South Africa) to the Hawaiian, Marquesas and Ducie islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island and Rapa Iti, at depths of 1–35 metres (3–115 ft).

Taxonomy

It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. Within this group, it is almost certainly a rather close relative of the vagabond butterflyfish (C. vagabundus) and the Indian vagabond butterflyfish (C. decussatus). The C. auriga species group shares the characteristic pattern of two areas of ascending and descending oblique lines; species differ conspicuously in hindpart coloration.