Chaetodon

Last updated

Chaetodon
Temporal range: 28–0  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Late Oligocene? – Recent
Chaetodon capistratus2.jpg
Foureye butterflyfish, C. capistratus
the type species of Chaetodon
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Chaetodon
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Chaetodon capistratus
Linnaeus, 1758
Subgenera

ChaetodonLinnaeus, 1758
"Citharoedus" Kaup, 1860 (nonHerrmannsen, 1847: preoccupied)
CorallochaetodonBurgess, 1978
DiscochaetodonNalbant, 1971
ExornatorNalbant, 1971
Gonochaetodon Bleeker, 1876
Lepidochaetodon Bleeker, 1876
MegaprotodonGuichenot, 1848
Rabdophorus Swainson, 1839
RhombochaetodonBurgess, 1978 (disputed)
TetrachaetodonWeber & Beaufort, 1936
and see text

Contents

Synonyms
  • AspilurochaetodonMauge & Bauchot, 1984
  • BurgessiusMauge & Bauchot, 1984
  • Chaetodontops Bleeker, 1876
  • HeterochaetodonMauge & Bauchot, 1984
  • RoaopsMauge & Bauchot, 1984
  • TifiaJordan in Jordan & Jordan, 1922

Chaetodon is a tropical fish genus in the family Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living species included here, [1] though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.

Species

There are currently 87 recognized species in this genus: [2]

Chaetodon sensu stricto

C. robustus group

Lepidochaetodon group

Subgenus Exornator (including Burgessius, Heterochaetodon and possibly Rhombochaetodon; tentatively placed here)

Subgenus Lepidochaetodon (including Tifia)

Subgenus Rhombochaetodon (including Roaops, might belong in Exornator; tentatively placed here)

Megaprotodon group

Subgenus "Citharoedus" (tentatively placed here)

Subgenus Corallochaetodon (tentatively placed here)

Subgenus Discochaetodon

Subgenus Gonochaetodon (tentatively placed here)

Chaetodon triangulum Chaetodon triangulum Landaagiraavaru.jpg
Chaetodon triangulum

Subgenus Megaprotodon

Subgenus Tetrachaetodon

Rabdophorus group

Including Aspilurochaetodon, Chaetodontops

Incertae sedis

Most are probably either Chaetodon sensu stricto or C. robustus group.

Proposed subgenera

Several subgenera have been proposed for splitting out of this group. It is becoming clear how the genus might be split up, with a range [3] [4] of DNA sequence data in large parts agreeing with S.D. Blum's landmark 1988 phylogenetic assessment of osteology. [5]

Basically, a core group around the type species Chaetodon capistratus would remain in Chaetodon, while maybe four clades would be split off. These could use the names Lepidochaetodon, Megaprotodon and Rabdophorus, and there is one unnamed group containing the Three-banded Butterflyfish (C. robustus) and its relatives. But the monophyly of the Lepidochaetodon group is not fully established; it is both unclear whether Rhombochaetodon is a lineage distinct from Exornator, and whether Lepidochaetodon is indeed closer to these than to any other Chaetodon, particularly to some lineages otherwise placed in Megaprotodon. [3]

Prognathodes , for some time contained in Chaetodon, is worthy of recognition as full genus, as is Roa. [6]

Historically, more distantly related fish were placed in Chaetodon too, for resembling them in details – e.g. the common scat Scatophagus argus, which has a similar shape and size, as well as armored larvae like the Chaetodontidae – or simply because they are colorful, smallish, and unusually-looking – e.g. the quite unrelated paradise fish, as C. chinensis.

The classification proposed in Fessler and Westneat is based on the species of Chaetodon they sampled and these sorted into the following clades: [3]

Fossil record

Fossil of Chaetodon species Chaetodontidae - Chaetodon species.JPG
Fossil of Chaetodon species

The oldest fossils that are usually assigned to Chaetodon date from the late Oligocene, about 25 million years ago. But since it is not easy to distinguish this genus from close relatives, it may be that the Oligocene fossils are actually of other Chaetodontidae. The fossil record of this family is scant indeed, only Chelmon (or some similar genus like Chelmonops or Coradion ) being known from Miocene remains. As even crude molecular clocks suggest that the ancestors of the Chaetodon and the Chelmops lineage diverged in the Late Eocene already, nothing more can be said without new fossils being discovered. [7] [8]

Footnotes

  1. FishBase (2006)
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Chaetodon in FishBase . February 2013 version.
  3. 1 2 3 Fessler, Jennifer L.; Westneat, Mark W (2007). "Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (1): 50–68. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.018.
  4. Hsu, Kui-Ching; Chen, Jeng-Ping & Shao, Kwang-Tsao (2007). "Molecular phylogeny of Chaetodon (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: evolution in geminate species pairs and species groups" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement. 14: 77–86. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-11. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  5. Blum (1988)
  6. Kuiter, R. H. 2004. Description of a new species of butterflyfish, Roa australis, from northwestern Australia (Pisces: Perciformes: Chaetodontidae). Records of the Australian Museum v. 56 (no. 2): 167-171.
  7. Sepkoski (2002), Fessler & Westneat (2007)
  8. Paleobiology Database

Related Research Articles

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Blacktail butterflyfish Species of fish

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Eritrean butterflyfish Species of fish

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Chevron butterflyfish Species of fish

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Pearlscale butterflyfish Species of fish

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Eightband butterflyfish Species of fish

The eight-banded Butterflyfish, also known as the eightband butterflyfish or eight-striped butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region where it is associated with reefs.

Bluelashed butterflyfish Species of fish

The bluelashed butterflyfish, also known as the eclipse butterflyfish, archer butterflyfish or Bennett's butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, It is found in the Indo-Pacific.

Spotband butterflyfish Species of fish

The spot-banded butterflyfish or spotband butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is from the western Pacific Ocean.

Seychelles butterflyfish Species of fish

The Seychelles butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from eastern Africa east to Cocos-Keeling Islands and Christmas Island, north to Sri Lanka. The Seychelles butterflyfish is found in areas of rich coral growth on seaward reefs, at 10–40 m depth.

<i>Chaetodon mertensii</i> Species of fish

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<i>Chaetodon falcula</i> Species of fish

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Mailed butterflyfish Species of fish

The mailed butterflyfish, also known as the reticulated butterflyfish or black butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, This species is found on reefs in the central and western Pacific Ocean. It can be found in the aquarium trade.

<i>Chaetodon pelewensis</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon pelewensis, the dot dash butterflyfish, spotbanded butterflyfish or punctato butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

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References