Chaetodon guentheri
Quick facts for kids Chaetodon guentheri |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chaetodon
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| Species: |
guentheri
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| Synonyms | |
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Chaetodon punctulatus Ahl, 1923 |
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Meet the Chaetodon guentheri, also known as the Günther's butterflyfish or the crochet butterflyfish! This amazing marine fish is a type of butterflyfish, part of a family called Chaetodontidae. You can find it swimming in the western Pacific Ocean.
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What Does Günther's Butterflyfish Look Like?
The Günther's butterflyfish has a body that is mostly white or light yellow. It has many small dark spots that form cool, wavy lines. The back part of its body, along with its soft dorsal fin (top fin) and anal fin (bottom fin), are bright yellow.
This fish has a black stripe that goes straight down through its eye. The color of its body is whitest near its head and gradually turns yellow towards its back and tail. Both its dorsal and anal fins have a white edge, with a thin black line just inside that white edge.
The dorsal fin has 13 strong spines and 21 to 22 soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 18 soft rays. This butterflyfish can grow up to 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) long.
Where Does This Fish Live?
The Günther's butterflyfish lives in the western Pacific Ocean. You can find it in many places, from southern Japan and Taiwan in the north, all the way down to New South Wales in Australia. It also lives near Lord Howe Island, the famous Great Barrier Reef, and east to Tonga.
Habitat and Daily Life of the Butterflyfish
You'll usually find the Günther's butterflyfish on reefs that face the open ocean. They love areas with lots of coral growing, in water that is 5 to 50 meters (about 16 to 164 feet) deep.
These fish are often seen swimming alone. However, they sometimes gather in groups, especially when they are moving long distances or when the ocean currents are strong. They particularly like areas where sponges grow. In warm tropical waters, they prefer deeper spots where sponges are common. In cooler areas, they might be found in shallower water.
Günther's butterflyfish are known to swim in open water. They even act as cleaner fish, helping to clean larger fish that swim in the open ocean.
How Do They Reproduce and What Do They Eat?
These fish are oviparous, which means they lay eggs. When it's time to breed, a male and female fish will form a pair.
Their diet is quite varied! They eat tiny organisms called plankton that float in the water. They also munch on soft and stony coral polyps, sea anemones, sponges, worms, tunicates (sea squirts), crustaceans (like small crabs), and other small creatures that live on the ocean floor, called benthic invertebrates.
About Its Name
The scientific name Chaetodon guentheri was first officially given in 1923 by a German scientist named Christoph Gustav Ernst Ahl. He found the first known example of this fish in Manado, Indonesia.
The name guentheri is a tribute to another famous German-born British scientist, Albert Günther. He was the first person to describe this fish back in 1871, though he originally gave it a different name.
Is This Fish Kept as a Pet?
The Günther's butterflyfish is not very often collected for people to keep in home aquariums.
