Bluestripe butterflyfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bluestripe butterflyfish |
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Chaetodon
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| Species: |
fremblii
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The bluestripe butterflyfish is a colorful fish. It's also called the blue-striped butterflyfish. You can find it swimming around the Hawaiian Islands. This fish is a type of butterflyfish, part of the Chaetodontidae family. It lives only in Hawaii and is quite common on shallow coral reefs.
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What Does the Bluestripe Butterflyfish Look Like?
The bluestripe butterflyfish has a flat body, like a pancake. It can grow up to 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) long. It has a pointy snout and a body shaped like a rectangle.
Its top fin, called the dorsal fin, has 12 to 14 sharp spines. It also has 20 to 21 soft rays. The fin underneath, the anal fin, has 3 spines and 16 to 18 soft rays.
This fish is easy to spot because of its bright colors. It has a yellow body with eight clear blue stripes. These stripes go diagonally from its eye area. There's a small black spot on top of its head. A bigger black spot is found at the base of its tail. This tail spot might trick predators into attacking the tail instead of the head.
Where Do Bluestripe Butterflyfish Live?
The bluestripe butterflyfish lives only in the Hawaiian Islands. This means it is endemic to Hawaii. You can find many of them on coral and rocky reefs. They usually swim in waters up to about 28 meters (92 feet) deep.
How Do Bluestripe Butterflyfish Live?
The bluestripe butterflyfish is an omnivore. This means it eats both plants and animals. Some other butterflyfish only eat corals. Since the bluestripe butterflyfish eats many different things, it's easier for them to find food.
Because food is plentiful, the males of this species have a special living arrangement. A male bluestripe butterflyfish will defend a territory. This territory includes the smaller areas where up to four females live. This is called a harem system.
Who Discovered the Bluestripe Butterflyfish?
The bluestripe butterflyfish was first officially described in 1828. An English naturalist named Edward Turner Bennett (1797-1836) gave it its scientific name.
The fish was named after Lieutenant John Frembly. He was a marine surveyor and geologist. Lieutenant Frembly gave a collection of fish specimens from the Sandwich Islands (which are now the Hawaiian Islands) to the Zoological Society of London.
Can You Keep Bluestripe Butterflyfish as Pets?
Sometimes, people keep bluestripe butterflyfish in reef aquariums. Since they eat many different things, they are easier to care for than other butterflyfish that only eat coral.
These fish are caught from the wild for aquariums. It can be hard to get them to eat food in captivity. Younger fish, especially those two or three months after they settle, are more likely to try new foods.
Scientists have tried to breed these fish in captivity. However, it's very difficult. Their young spend about two months floating in the open ocean. It's hard to copy these conditions in an aquarium.
See also
In Spanish: Pez mariposa de rayas azules para niños
