Vagabond butterflyfish

Last updated

Vagabond butterflyfish
Chaetodon vagabundus.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Chaetodon
Subgenus: Chaetodon (Rabdophorus)
Species:
C. vagabundus
Binomial name
Chaetodon vagabundus
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms [2]
  • Anisochaetodon vagabundus(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Tetragonoptrus vagabundus(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Chaetodon nesogallicus Cuvier, 1829
  • Tetragonoptrus nesogallicus(Cuvier, 1829)
  • Chaetodon setifer hawaiiensis Borodin, 1930

The vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus), also known as the crisscross butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Contents

Description

The vagabond butterflyfish has a whitish body which is marked with two series of thin dark diagonal lines perpendicular to each other, forming a chevron pattern. There is also a wide black vertical band running through the eye and a second band running through the caudal peduncle and a third on the centre of the caudal fin. There are very thin orange horizontal lines over the forehead. The juveniles have a black dot on the soft-rayed part of their dorsal fin, near the posterior end. [3] The dorsal fin contains 13 spines and 23-25 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 19-22 soft rays. This species grows to a maximum total length of 23 centimetres (9.1 in) although a more typical length would be 15 centimetres (5.9 in). [2]

Distribution

The vagabond butterflyfish is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It occurs from the eastern coast of Africa, where it is found from Socotra to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa; across the Indian Ocean east as far as the Line and Gambier Islands in Polynesia, north to southern Japan and south to New South Wales and Rapa Iti. [1]

Habitat and biology

The vagabond butterflyfish is found in reef areas including coastal reef flats within the reef, lagoons and more exposed outer reef slopes. It can tolerate a variety of environmental conditions, such as turbid waters and freshwater plumes in the vicinity of the mouths of streams. [3] They are omnivorous, known to feed on algae, coral polyps, crustaceans and worms. These oviparous, monogamous fish form stable pairs with both pair members jointly defending a feeding territory against other pairs. However they often accompany other species without being aggressive. By the standards of their genus, they are easily maintained in tanks. [2]

Systematics

The vagabond butterflyfish was first formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae . [4] It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. In this group, it almost certainly is a rather close relative of the threadfin butterflyfish (C. auriga) and the Indian vagabond butterflyfish (C. decussatus). The latter might be closer to the threadfin butterflyfish; as C. vagabundus has yielded abnormal mtDNA 12S rRNA sequence data this is hard to say however. The C. auriga species group shares the characteristic pattern of two areas of ascending and descending oblique lines; species differ conspicuously in hindpart coloration. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<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">Threadfin butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The threadfin butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

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

The teardrop butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the (family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

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

The Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish, Chaetodon decussatus, also known as the blackened butterflyfish or black-finned vagabond, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Maldives via India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman Sea to the westernmost portion of the Indonesian archipelago.

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

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

<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">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.

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

The Yellow-dotted Butterflyfish is a poorly known marine ray-finned fish species, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indi-Western Pacific Region.

<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 pictus</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon pictus, the horseshoe butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. This species is found in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and around Oman.

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

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

The Black Butterflyfish, also known as the dusky butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finnedfish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Pacific Ocean.

<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.

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

Chaetodon wiebeli, commonly known as the Hong Kong butterflyfish, Wiebel's butterflyfish or blackcap butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Western Pacific 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.

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

Chaetodon gardineri, Gardiner's butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean.

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

Chaetodon andamanensis, commonly known as the Andaman butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean.

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

Chaetodon aureofasciatus, the golden butterflyfish, golden- banded butterflyfish, golden-striped butterflyfish or sunburst butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. This coral eating species is found on shallow reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.

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

Chaetodon rainfordi, Rainfords's butterflyfish, also known as the gold-barred butterflyfish or the Northern butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish, belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean where it is associated with coral reefs.

References

  1. 1 2 Myers, R.F.; Pratchett, M. (2010). "Chaetodon vagabundus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165630A6073181. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165630A6073181.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Chaetodon vagabundus" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 Dianne J. Bray. "Chaetodon vagabundus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Chaetodon". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.