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Chaetodon citrinellus Cuvier, 1831 Speckled butterflyfish |
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photo by
Allen, G.R. |
| Family: | Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes) | |||
| Max. size: | 13 cm TL (male/unsexed) | |||
| Environment: | reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 36 m | |||
| Distribution: | Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to New South Wales (Australia) and Lord Howe Island. | |||
| Diagnosis: | Dorsal spines (total): 13-14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 20-22; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 16-17. Description: Pale yellow with numerous small dark spots. Black bar over head and black margin on anal fin (Ref. 48636). Snout length 2.7-3.0 in HL. Body depth 1.6-1.9 in SL (Ref. 90102). | |||
| Biology: | Common in shallow exposed reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs; in relatively open areas with scattered corals and occasionally at depth of 36 m (Ref. 205). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). May be solitary or in small groups (Ref. 90102). Usually in pairs. Juveniles often in small aggregations and commonly mix with other similar sized juveniles, especially C. kleinii. Feed on small worms, small benthic invertebrates, coral polyps, and filamentous algae. Oviparous. Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797. | |||
| IUCN Red List Status: | Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 08 October 2009 Ref. (130435) | |||
| Threat to humans: | harmless | |||