Meyer’s Butterflyfish (Chaetodon meyeri) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Scrawled Butterflyfish or Maypole Butterflyfish is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Meyer’s Butterflyfish are found along the eastern coast of Africa from Somalia to Durban, and across the Indian and Pacific Oceans as far east as the Line Islands and Hawaii. Their […]

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Fourspot Butterflyfish (Chaetodon quadrimaculatus), known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Fourspotted Butterflyfish or Four-spot Butterfly is found in Australia, Indonesia, and the East and Central/West Pacific Oceans. Their range extends from the Ryukyus, Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands and Taiwan, to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Pitcairn islands; south to the Samoan and Austral Islands; and in […]

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Speckled Butterflyfish (Chaetodon citrinellus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Citron Butterflyfish or Lemon Butterflyfish are found throughout the Indo Pacific.   Its range extends from the Red Sea, East Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamotu islands; north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands; and south to New South Wales (Australia) and Lord […]

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The Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black-backed Butterflyfish, Melannotus Butterflyfish or Blackback Butterflyfish is widespread through the Indo-Pacific region. It’s range extends from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, northward to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island, and throughout Micronesia. The Black Back Butterflyfish […]

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The Melon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Indian Redfin Butterflyfish, Three-banded Coralfish, Three-banded Butterfly, Lineated butterflyfish, Pinstriped Butterflyfish, Purple Butterflyfish, Rainbow Butterflyfish, Indian Ocean Redfin Butterfly, and Red-fin Butterflyfish is only found in the Indian Ocean.   Its range extends from East Africa and the islands of western and central […]

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The Three Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon robustus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Ghana Butterflyfish, Robustus Butterfly, or South African Butterflyfish is found on the southern tropical west coasts of Africa and ranges from Mauritania to the Gulf of Guinea. Chaetodon robustus are a rare, elusive species that are normally encountered singly or in […]

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Three Band Butterflyfish (Chaetodon tricinctus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Three-Striped Butterflyfish or Threeband Butterflyfish is a rarely imported species that is native to eastern Australia, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, and Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs in the Tasman Sea. Three Band Butterflyfish are normally encountered in small groups or pairs on the […]

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Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Butterbun, the Portuguese Butterfly, School Mistress, and Banded Mariposa are found in tropical western Atlantic waters from Brazil to Bermuda and ranges from Massachusetts in the United States to Santa Catarina in Brazi; including the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, and […]

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Latticed Butterflyfish (Chaetodon rafflesi) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Raffle’s Butterflyfish is found in the Indo-Pacific region, from the Andaman Sea to the western Pacific and ranges from Sri Lanka to the Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef, and from Palau (Belau) to the eastern Caroline Islands […]

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Sunset Butterflyfish (Chaetodon pelewensis) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Dot Dash Butterflyfish, Dot-and-dash Butterflyfish, Spotbanded Butterflyfish, Pelewensis Butterflyfish, and erroneously the Punctato Butterflyfish, is found on coral reefs in the South Pacific Ocean. In the southern Pacific Ocean its range extends from Papua New Guinea to the Tuamotu Archipelago.   It is abundant in […]

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The Punctato Butterflyfish (Chaetodon punctatofasciatus), known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Dot Dash Butterflyfish, Spotband Butterflyfish, or Spot-band Butterflyfish, are found in the Indo West Pacific Ocean from Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Line Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the Rowley Shoals and the northern Great […]

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The Big Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Longnose Butterflyfish, is found throughout tropical Indo Pacific waters. Its range extends from East Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Pitcairn islands, north to the Bonin Islands, south to New Caledonia and the Austral Islands; throughout Micronesia. Big Longnose Butterflyfish are […]

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Zoster Butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys zoster) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Brown and White Butterflyfish, Black Pyramid Butterflyfish, or Brushtooth Butterflyfish are widespread throughout tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean. Their range extends from the east coast of Africa and Oman to the Andaman Sea and western Sumatra and south western Java, Indonesia […]

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Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Longnose Butterflyfish or Forceps Butterflyfish is common throughout tropical Indo Pacific waters.   Its range in the Indo Pacific extends from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian and Easter Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island and throughout […]

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Saddleback Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ephippium) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Saddled Butterflyfish or Saddle Butterflyfish is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans from Sri Lanka and the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan, south to Rowley Shoals and New South Wales in Australia. Adult Saddleback […]

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The Margined Butterfly (Chelmon marginalis) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Western Beaked Butterflyfish, Willemawillum, Three-Stripe Butterflyfish, Marginalis Butterflyfish, and Margined Coralfish is endemic to Australia and ranges from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia, around the coasts of northern Australia to the northern Great Barrier Reef, and the reefs in the Coral […]

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Madagascar Butterflyfish (Chaetodon madagaskariensis) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Seychelles Butterflyfish, Madagascar Pearlscale Butterfly Fish, or Indian Ocean Chevron Butterflyfish is found in the Indian Ocean from eastern Africa, to as far south as Port Elizabeth in South Africa; east to the Australian territories of Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling Islands, and […]

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Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Beaked Butterflyfish, Beaked Coralfish, or Orange Stripe Butterfly are found in the Western Pacific from Andaman Sea to the Ryukyu Islands, and Australia. Copperband Butterflyfish are usually encountered as single fish or in pairs in estuaries, silty inner reefs, and rocky shorelines of […]

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Mertensii Butterflyfish (Chaetodon mertensii) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Chaetodon mertensii, the Atoll Butterflyfish, Yellowback Butterflyfish, Orangetail Butterflyfish, Crowned Pearlyscale Butterflyfish, Merten’s coralfish. and Merten’s Butterflyfish is found in the western Pacific Ocean, East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, The Red Sea, and Indonesia. The Mertensii Butterflyfish was first discovered in the […]

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Pearlscale Butterflyfish (Chaetodon xanthurus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Yellow Tailed Butterflyfish, Crosshatch Butterflyfish or Philippines Chevron Butterflyfish is central Indo-Pacific region from Indonesia and the Philippines north to the Ryukyu Islands. Pearlscale Butterflyfish can be encountered alone, in pairs, and in small groups along drop offs in the clear, coastal outer reef […]

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