Oriental butterflyfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oriental butterflyfish |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chaetodon
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| Species: |
auripes
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| Synonyms | |
The oriental butterflyfish, also known as Chaetodon auripes, is a colorful fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of butterflyfish, which are known for their bright patterns. You can find this fish swimming in the western Pacific Ocean, especially near Eastern Asia.
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What the Oriental Butterflyfish Looks Like
The oriental butterflyfish has a mostly yellow body. It has a wide black stripe that goes vertically through its eyes. Right behind this black stripe is a slightly thinner white stripe.
Younger fish have a black spot, called an ocellus, on the upper part of their dorsal fin (the fin on their back). This spot fades away as the fish gets older. The dorsal fin, the anal fin (on the bottom), and the pelvic fins (near the belly) are all bright yellow.
This fish has 12 stiff spines and 23 to 24 soft rays in its dorsal fin. Its anal fin has 3 spines and 18 to 19 soft rays. The oriental butterflyfish can grow up to 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) long.
Where the Oriental Butterflyfish Lives
The oriental butterflyfish lives in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. You can find it in places like southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Izu Islands. It also lives near the Ogasawara Islands, southwest Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and along the southern coast of China all the way to southern Vietnam.
Habitat and Daily Life of the Oriental Butterflyfish
This fish lives in waters that are 1 to 30 meters (about 3 to 98 feet) deep. It prefers rocky reefs where you can find both coral and algae. Young oriental butterflyfish often live in tidal pools and calm, shallow rocky areas.
These fish sometimes swim together in groups, called aggregations. However, you might also see them swimming alone. The oriental butterflyfish can live in cooler waters than many other butterflyfish. It can handle temperatures as low as 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) off the coast of Japan. It has even been found living as deep as 150 meters (about 492 feet)!
The oriental butterflyfish eats many different things. Its diet includes stringy algae, worms, crustaceans, soft corals, stony corals, and sea anemones. It also eats other small creatures that live on the ocean floor.
How the Oriental Butterflyfish Got Its Name
The oriental butterflyfish was first officially described in 1901. Two American scientists, David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder, gave it its scientific name, Chaetodon auripes. They found the first example of this fish near Nagasaki, Japan.
This species belongs to a larger group of butterflyfish called Rabdophorus. Scientists sometimes think this group might be important enough to be considered its own special genus (a bigger group of similar species).
Oriental Butterflyfish and People
You don't often see the oriental butterflyfish in aquariums. It is quite rare in the pet trade.
