| Chaetodon mesoleucos | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Chaetodontidae |
| Genus: | Chaetodon |
| Subgenus: | Chaetodon (Rabdophorus) |
| Species: | C. mesoleucos |
| Binomial name | |
| Chaetodon mesoleucos Forsskål, 1775 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Chaetodon mesoleucos, the white-faced butterflyfish, is a species off marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish, belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the north western Indian Ocean.
Chaetodon mesoleucos has a bluish white anterior part of the body with a vertical black band running through the eye. The rest of the body is pale grey in colour marked with numerous vertical black lines. The caudal fin is black with a white on the inner margin near the caudal peduncle. [3] This species attains a maximum total length of 13 centimetres (5.1 in), although 12 centimetres (4.7 in) is more common. [2]
Chaetodon mesoleucos is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean. It occurs from the central Red Sea, into the Gulf of Aden and around Socotra. [1]
Chaetodon mesoleucos occurs at depths between 1 and 25 metres (3.3 and 82.0 ft), [1] inhabiting coral reefs where they occur in pairs. [2] They are thought to feed mainly on coral polyps but will eat a variety of benthic invertebrates. [3] Little is known about the biology of this species. [1]
Chaetodon mesoleucos was first formally described in 1775 by the Swedish-speaking Finnish explorer, orientalist, naturalist Peter Forsskål (1732-1763), his description was published in 1775 by his companion on his expedition to Yemen, the orientalist and mathematician Carsten Niebuhr. The type locality was given as Al-Mukhā in Yemen. [4] It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. [5]
Chaetodon mesoleucos is uncommon in the aquarium trade. [1] However, it is not a difficult species to keep in captivity. [3]
