Seychelles butterflyfish

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Seychelles butterflyfish
Bep chaetodon madagaskariensis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Chaetodon
Subgenus: Rhombochaetodon
Species:
C. madagaskariensis
Binomial name
Chaetodon madagaskariensis
Synonyms

Chaetodon madagascariensis( lapsus )

The Seychelles butterflyfish (Chaetodon madagaskariensis) 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 (as far south as Port Elizabeth in South 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. [2]

Contents

It grows to a maximum of 13 cm (more than 5 in) long. The body color is silver at the head, becoming white towards the tail, with a triangular orange patch covering the posterior and the caudal peduncle. There are a series of dark grey chevron lines on the sides of the body, partly broken into spots. Between the eyes and the start of the dorsal fin there is a black patch rimmed with white. The base of the caudal fin is white, followed by an orange patch and a white rim. [2]

Systematics

The Seychelles butterflyfish was first formally described in 1923 by the German zoologist Ernst Ahl (1898-1945) with the type locality given as Mauritius. The specific name is sometimes spelt madagascarensis but Ahl’s original should be used. [3]

C. madagaskariensis is one of the "crowned" butterflyfishes. These form a group of largely allopatric species sharing the overall color pattern of dark forward-pointing chevrons on silvery hues, (usually) a black-and-white crown spot and yellow to red hindparts to a stunning degree; they differ in the exact combination of hues and some small pattern details. Other members of this lineage are the closely related Eritrean (C. paucifasciatus) and atoll butterflyfishes (C. mertensii), and the more distant pearlscale butterflyfish (C. xanthurus). [4] [5]

The "crowned" Chaetodon are a clearly recognizable clade, but their further relationships are otherwise less clear. They were often placed in the subgenus Exornator, or considered a distinct subgenus Rhombochaetodon. According to various DNA sequence studies, some older and more singular lineages. These include species such as the Asian butterflyfish ( C. argentatus ), the blue-striped butterflyfish ( C. fremblii ) and Burgess' butterflyfish ( C. burgessi ). C. burgessi is in fact so peculiar that it was placed in a monotypic subgenus Roaops. But recognition of this would probably result in several other small or monotypic subgenera becoming justified, and the older Rhombochaetodon would be the more conveniently apply to the entire radiation. [4] [5]

But the expanded group is of unclear relationships to species like the speckled butterflyfish (C. citrinellus) and the four-spotted butterflyfish (C. quadrimaculatus). These might be members of the subgenus Exornator the lineages around the spot-banded butterflyfish (C. punctatofasciatus) and C. citrinellus certainly looks somewhat similar to these. Yet phylogenetically, their position towards Rhombochaetodon is unresolved, and ultimately it might be better to merge both Rhombochaetodon and Roaops in Exornator. If the genus Chaetodon is split up, Exornator might become a subgenus of Lepidochaetodon or a separate genus. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chaetodon</i> Genus of fishes

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, though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reef butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The reef butterflyfish. also known as the least butterflyfish, Atlantic butterflyfish, butterbun or school mistress, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish of the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluecheek butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The blue-cheeked butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raccoon butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The raccoon butterflyfish, also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish, lunule butterflyfish, halfmoon butterflyfish, moon butterflyfish, raccoon butterfly, raccoon, raccoon coralfish, and redstriped butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millet butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The millet butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish in the family Chaetodontidae. Other common names include the lemon butterflyfish and the millet-seed butterflyfish. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and the Johnston Atoll, where it is found at depths down to 250 m (820 ft). Although it has a limited range, it is common around Hawaii, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

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

Chaetodon ulietensis, the Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish or false falcula butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish. It flourishes in coral-rich environments in the central Indo-Pacific region. Their range extends from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the Tuamotu Islands, and north to Japan. They are usually found from the surface to 20 m depths, and like shallow channels with high current.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blacktail butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The blacktail butterflyfish, also known as black-tailed butterflyfish or exquisite butterflyfish, is a species marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the western Indian Ocean but has reached the Mediterranean Sea as a Lessepsian migrant through the Suez Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speckled butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

Chaetodon citrinellus is a species of butterflyfish. It is commonly known as the speckled butterflyfish or citron butterflyfish. It is found in the Indo-Pacific: the Red Sea, East Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan and south to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lined butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The lined butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish. a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, one of the largest species in the genus Chaetodon. It has a wide range from the Red Sea to South Africa and as far east as southern Japan and Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackback butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The black-backed butterflyfish or blackback butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish. It is widespread through the Indo-Pacific area from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, to southern Japan and throughout Micronesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrean butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The Eritrean butterflyfish or crown butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is essentially just known from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but has been reported from East Africa. It grows up to 14 cm (5.5 in) in length. It is white with black chevrons, except for a red zone stretching from the aft dorsal fin across the caudal peduncle to the end of the anal fin. A red bar runs vertically through the caudal fin. There are black eyestripes and a black "crown" with white border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melon butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The melon butterflyfish or the Indian redfin butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Western Java. This is one species of a closely related group which includes the blacktail butterflyfish of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the oval butterflyfish which is found in the western Pacific, from eastern coasts of the Indonesian islands to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearlscale butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The pearlscale butterflyfish, also known as yellow-tailed butterflyfish, crosshatch butterflyfish or Philippines chevron butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peppered butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The peppered butterflyfish is a species marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotband butterflyfish</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spot-nape butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The Spot-naped Butterflyfish, also known as the pig-face butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish. a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo- West Pacific region from Sri Lanka to Queensland, north to Indonesia and the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latticed butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The latticed butterflyfish, also known as Raffles’ coralfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

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

Chaetodon mertensii, the atoll butterflyfish, yellowback butterflyfish or Merten's butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

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

Chaetodon falcula, the blackwedged butterflyfish or falcula butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

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

Chaetodon plebeius, the blueblotch butterflyfish, bluespot butterflyfish, bluedash butterflyfish or grey-blotched butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

References

  1. Myers, R.F.; Pratchett, M. (2010). "Chaetodon madagaskariensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165642A6078712. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165642A6078712.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Chaetodon madagaskarensis" in FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Chaetodon". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  4. 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.
  5. 1 2 3 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 2007-08-11 at the Wayback Machine