Butterfly perch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Butterfly perch |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Scientific classification |
The butterfly perch (Caesioperca lepidoptera) is a type of ray-finned fish that lives in the ocean. It belongs to the sea bass family called Serranidae. You can find this fish in the eastern Indian Ocean and the southwestern Pacific Ocean. This includes the waters around southern Australia and New Zealand. People sometimes call it the red perch because of its color.
What Does the Butterfly Perch Look Like?
The butterfly perch has a body that is flat from side to side and quite tall. It can grow up to about 47 cm long. This fish is usually pink. It has a big black spot near its tail. Adult butterfly perch have a blue band right behind their eyes. Their fins also have blue edges, and they have small blue spots on their bodies. The fins on their sides (pectoral fins) are about as long as their head.
People sometimes mix up the butterfly perch with a similar fish called the barber perch (Caesioperca rasor). But the butterfly perch has a deeper body. Also, the male butterfly perch are more pink and have a dark blotch on their side, not a band.
Where Do Butterfly Perch Live?
The butterfly perch lives in the cooler waters around Australia and New Zealand. They can be found at depths of up to about 100 meters. In Australia, they are mostly seen along the coasts of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales.
These fish like to swim together in large groups called schools. They live on and around rocky reefs near the coast. They find their food, which is tiny sea creatures called plankton, in these areas. At night, the butterfly perch hides in cracks and caves in the reefs to stay safe.
How Do Butterfly Perch Behave?
Butterfly perch gather in big groups in the deep water near reefs. They are demersal fish, which means they live and feed near the bottom of the sea. They eat tiny floating organisms called plankton. They also eat small creatures that live on the seafloor. These include things like sea squirts, pyrosomes, coral polyps, worms, tiny copepods, and shrimps.
