Eastern talma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eastern talma |
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The eastern talma, also called the truncate coralfish, is a type of butterflyfish. It's a beautiful ray-finned fish that belongs to the family called Chaetodontidae. This fish lives only in the waters near Australia.
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What Does the Eastern Talma Look Like?
The eastern talma looks a lot like its cousin, the western talma (C. curiosus). The biggest difference is its back fin, called the dorsal fin. The eastern talma's dorsal fin looks "cut off" or flat at the end. The western talma has a long, thin part on its dorsal fin.
The fins and dark stripes on the eastern talma's body often have a reddish or purplish color. This can make them look dark red in certain light.
Young eastern talma fish have a clear eyespot on their dorsal fin. This spot looks like a big eye and helps to confuse predators. As the fish gets older, this eyespot fades and becomes less clear. The back edge of their dorsal and anal fins (bottom fins) is almost straight in adult fish. In younger fish, these fins are more rounded. This fish can grow up to about 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) long.
Where Does the Eastern Talma Live?
The eastern talma lives only in the southeastern part of Australia. You can find it from Double Island Point in southern Queensland all the way south to Jervis Bay in New South Wales.
Eastern Talma's Home and Habits
Eastern talmas like to live in coastal bays and estuaries. These are places where rivers meet the sea. They often hang out along deep rocky walls underwater.
Adult eastern talmas usually live in pairs. They are like a team! Young eastern talmas, however, are often found swimming alone.
What do they eat? Their diet includes small crustaceans (like tiny crabs or shrimp), worms, and stringy algae. The adult pairs are known to protect their own special areas, called territories.
Eastern Talma in Aquariums
The eastern talma is quite rare in the aquarium trade. This means you don't often see them in fish tanks. They are almost never sent out of Australia to other countries for aquariums.
How Scientists Named the Eastern Talma
Scientists give every living thing a special name. This helps everyone know exactly which animal they are talking about. The eastern talma was first officially described in 1859. An Austrian fish expert named Rudolf Kner gave it the name Chaetodon truncatus. He found it near Sydney, Australia.
Later, in 1876, a Dutch fish expert named Pieter Bleeker created a new group, or "genus," just for this fish. He called this group Chelmonops. Since the eastern talma was the only fish in this new group, it became the main example, or "type species," for the Chelmonops genus.
- Care information for Truncate coralfish at the Aquarium wiki
See also
In Spanish: Chelmonops truncatus para niños
