Chaetodon

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Genus of fishes

title: "Chaetodon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chaetodon", "animal-taxa-named-by-carl-linnaeus", "marine-fish-genera", "rupelian-genus-first-appearances", "extant-rupelian-first-appearances"] description: "Genus of fishes" topic_path: "general/chaetodon" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of fishes ::

| fossil_range = Early Oligocene – Recent | image = Chaetodon capistratus 319310803.jpg | image_caption = Foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) | taxon = Chaetodon | authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | type_species = Chaetodon capistratus | type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | subdivision_ranks = Subgenera | subdivision = {{collapsible list| Chaetodon Linnaeus, 1758

"Citharoedus" Kaup, 1860 (non Herrmannsen, 1847: preoccupied)

Corallochaetodon Burgess, 1978

Discochaetodon Nalbant, 1971

Exornator Nalbant, 1971

Gonochaetodon Bleeker, 1876

Lepidochaetodon Bleeker, 1876

Megaprotodon Guichenot, 1848

Rabdophorus Swainson, 1839

Rhombochaetodon Burgess, 1978 (disputed)

Tetrachaetodon Weber & Beaufort, 1936

and see text | synonyms = {{collapsible list|

Aspilurochaetodon Mauge & Bauchot, 1984
Burgessius Mauge & Bauchot, 1984
Chaetodontops Bleeker, 1876
Heterochaetodon Mauge & Bauchot, 1984
Roaops Mauge & Bauchot, 1984
Tifia Jordan in Jordan & Jordan, 1922

Chaetodon is a tropical fish genus in the family Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living species included here, though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.

Taxonomy

Proposed subgenera

Several subgenera have been proposed for splitting out of this group. It is becoming clear how the genus might be split up, with a range of DNA sequence data in large parts agreeing with S.D. Blum's landmark 1988 phylogenetic assessment of osteology.

Basically, a core group around the type species Chaetodon capistratus would remain in Chaetodon, while maybe four clades would be split off. These could use the names Lepidochaetodon, Megaprotodon and Rabdophorus, and there is one unnamed group containing the three-banded butterflyfish (C. robustus) and its relatives. But the monophyly of the Lepidochaetodon group is not fully established; it is both unclear whether Rhombochaetodon is a lineage distinct from Exornator, and whether Lepidochaetodon is indeed closer to these than to any other Chaetodon, particularly to some lineages otherwise placed in Megaprotodon.

Prognathodes, for some time contained in Chaetodon, is worthy of recognition as full genus, as is Roa.

Historically, more distantly related fish were placed in Chaetodon too, for resembling them in details – e.g. the common scat Scatophagus argus, which has a similar shape and size, as well as armored larvae like the Chaetodontidae – or simply because they are colorful, smallish, and unusual-looking – e.g. the quite unrelated paradise fish, as C. chinensis.

The classification proposed in Fessler and Westneat is based on the species of Chaetodon they sampled and these sorted into the following clades: ::data[format=table title="Clades"]

Clade 1	Clade 2	Clade 3	Clade 4

::

Extant species

There are currently 87 recognized species in this genus:

''Chaetodon sensu stricto''

::data[format=table title=""]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon capistratus Linnaeus, 1758	Foureye butterflyfish	[[File:Four-Eye Butterflyfish (8422762054).jpg
Chaetodon ocellatus Bloch, 1787	Spotfin butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon ocellatus 471573035.jpg
Chaetodon striatus Linnaeus, 1758	Banded butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon striatus Brasil.jpg
::

''C. robustus'' group

::data[format=table title=""]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon hoefleri Steindachner, 1881	Four-banded butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon hoefleri.jpg
Chaetodon robustus Günther, 1860	Three-banded butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon robustus 256535323.jpg
::

''Lepidochaetodon'' group

::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Exornator'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon citrinellus G. Cuvier, 1831	Speckled butterflyfish,	[[File:Chaetodon citrinellus 474932293 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon dolosus C. G. E. Ahl, 1923	African butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon dolosus.jpg
Chaetodon guentheri C. G. E. Ahl, 1923	Crochet butterflyfish	[[File:ChaetodonGuentheriRLS.jpg
Chaetodon guttatissimus E. T. Bennett, 1833	Peppered butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon guttatissimus 238414790.jpg
Chaetodon miliaris Quoy & Gaimard, 1825	Millet butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon miliaris 502143413.jpg
Chaetodon multicinctus A. Garrett, 1863	Pebbled butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon multicinctus 258007938.jpg
Chaetodon pelewensis Kner, 1868	Sunset butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon pelewensis 542007998.jpg
Chaetodon punctatofasciatus G. Cuvier, 1831	Spotband butterflyfish	[[File:Spotband butterflyfish (Chaetodon punctatofasciatus) (35404931924).jpg
Chaetodon quadrimaculatus J. E. Gray, 1831	Fourspot butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon quadrimaculatus 351192929.jpg
Chaetodon sedentarius Poey, 1860	Reef butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon sedentarius Brasil.jpg
::

*Nota bene: including Burgessius, Heterochaetodon and possibly Rhombochaetodon; tentatively placed here. ::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Lepidochaetodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon daedalma D. S. Jordan & Fowler, 1902	Wrought-iron butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon daedalma 1 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon interruptus C. G. E. Ahl, 1923	Yellow teardrop butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon interruptus, Reunión (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon kleinii Bloch, 1790	Sunburst butterflyfish,	[[File:Blacklip butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) (41861411282).jpg
Chaetodon litus J. E. Randall & D. K. Caldwell, 1973	Easter Island butterflyfish	[[File:Easter Island butterflyfish.jpg
Chaetodon nippon Steindachner & Döderlein (de), 1883	Japanese butterflyfish	[[File:ShirakoDI.jpg
Chaetodon smithi J. E. Randall, 1975	Smith's butterflyfish
Chaetodon trichrous Günther, 1874	Tahiti butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon trichrous 301384831 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon unimaculatus Bloch, 1787	Teardrop butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon unimaculatus Teardrop Butterflyfish Fiji by Nick Hobgood.jpg
::

*Nota bene: including Tifia. C. daedalma, C. litus, C. nippon, and C. smithi are tentatively placed here.

::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Rhombochaetodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon argentatus H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1911	Asian butterflyfish	[[File:KagamiCU.jpg
Chaetodon blackburnii Desjardins, 1836	Brownburnie	[[File:Chaetodon blackburnii 43083257.jpg
Chaetodon burgessi G. R. Allen & Starck, 1973	Burgess' butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon burgessi.JPG
Chaetodon declivis J. E. Randall, 1975	Marquesas butterflyfish
Chaetodon flavocoronatus R. F. Myers, 1980	Yellow-crowned butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon flavocoronatus.JPG
Chaetodon fremblii E. T. Bennett	Blue-striped butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon fremblii, Hawái 2 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon madagaskariensis C. G. E. Ahl, 1923	Seychelles butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon madagaskariensis 441583348 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon mertensii G. Cuvier, 1831	Atoll butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon mertensii Kasai.jpg
Chaetodon mitratus Günther, 1860	Indian butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon mitratus, pinnacle Lopes, Mozambique imported from iNaturalist photo 170685886.jpg
Chaetodon paucifasciatus C. G. E. Ahl, 1923	Eritrean butterflyfish,	[[File:Eritrean Butterflyfish - Chaetodon paucifasciatus.jpg
Chaetodon tinkeri L. P. Schultz, 1951	Hawaiian butterflyfish	[[File:Tinkers butterflyfish.png
Chaetodon xanthurus Bleeker, 1857	Pearlscale butterflyfish,	[[File:Crosshatch butterflyfish (Chaetodon xanthurus) (35404933394).jpg
::

Nota bene: including Roaops, might belong in Exornator; tentatively placed here*. C. blackburnii*, C. declivis, C. flavocoronatus, C. mitratus, and C. tinkeri tentatively placed here.

''Megaprotodon'' group

::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''"Citharoedus"'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801	Scrawled butterflyfish	[[File:Meyer's Butterflyfish - Chaetodon meyeri.jpg
Chaetodon ornatissimus G. Cuvier, 1831	Ornate butterflyfish	[[File:Ornate butterflyfish (Chaetodon ornatissimus) - 49150550068.jpg
Chaetodon reticulatus G. Cuvier, 1831	Mailed butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon reticulatus.jpg
::

Nota bene: tentatively placed here. ::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Corallochaetodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon austriacus Rüppell, 1836	Blacktail butterflyfish,	[[File:Pez mariposa de cola negra (Chaetodon austriacus), mar Rojo, Egipto, 2023-04-14, DD 53.jpg
Chaetodon lunulatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1825	Redfin butterflyfish,	[[File:Redfin butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus) - 49150550073.jpg
Chaetodon melapterus Guichenot, 1863	Arabian butterflyfish	[[File:Pez mariposa arábigo (Chaetodon melapterus), islas Ad Dimaniyat, Omán, 2024-08-13, DD 93.jpg
Chaetodon trifasciatus M. Park, 1797	Indian redfin butterflyfish,	[[File:Chaetodon trifasciatus 473229823.jpg
::

Nota bene: tentatively placed here. ::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Discochaetodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon aureofasciatus W. J. Macleay, 1878	Golden butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon aureofasciatus 449595585.jpg
Chaetodon octofasciatus Bloch, 1787	Eightband butterflyfish	[[File:Pez mariposa de ocho franjas (Chaetodon octofasciatus), Anilao, Filipinas, 2023-08-21, DD 52.jpg
Chaetodon rainfordi McCulloch, 1923	Rainford's butterflyfish	[[File:ChaetodRainfordiMarkMShepherd.jpg
Chaetodon tricinctus Waite, 1901	Three-striped butterflyfish	[[File:ChaetodonTricinctusRLS.jpg
::

Nota bene: C. tricinctus tentatively placed here in Discochaetodon. ::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Gonochaetodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon baronessa G. Cuvier, 1829	Eastern triangle butterflyfish	[[File:Eastern triangular butterflyfish (Chaetodon baronessa) (32396205277).jpg
Chaetodon larvatus G. Cuvier, 1831	Hooded butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon larvatus at Red Sea Aquarium by Hatem Moushir 1.JPG
Chaetodon triangulum G. Cuvier, 1831	Triangle butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon triangulum 475208226.jpg
::

Nota bene: tentatively placed here. ::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Megaprotodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825	Chevron butterflyfish,	[[File:Pez mariposa Chevrón (Chaetodon trifascialis), parque nacional Ras Muhammad, Egipto, 2022-03-30, DD 32.jpg
::

::data[format=table title="'''Subgenus ''Tetrachaetodon'''''"]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon andamanensis Kuiter & Debelius (de), 1999	Andaman butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon andamanensis 296010187.jpg
Chaetodon bennetti G. Cuvier, 1831	Bluelashed butterflyfish	[[File:Bep chaetodon bennetti.jpg
Chaetodon plebeius G. Cuvier, 1831	Blue-blotched butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon plebeius en Lizard Island 2.jpg
Chaetodon speculum G. Cuvier, 1831	Mirror butterflyfish	[[File:Oval-spot butterflyfish (Chaetodon speculum) (47285644472).jpg
Chaetodon zanzibarensis Playfair (fr), 1867	Zanzibar butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon zanzibarensis Réunion (cropped).JPG
::

Nota bene: C. andamanensis is tentatively placed here in Tetrachaetodon.

''Rabdophorus'' group

::data[format=table title=""]

Species	Common name	Image
Aspilurochaetodon	Chaetodon gardineri Norman, 1939	Gardner's butterflyfish
Chaetodon leucopleura Playfair, 1867	Somali butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon leucopleura Kenya.jpg
Chaetodon selene Bleeker, 1853	Yellow-dotted butterflyfish	[[File:Bep chaetodon selene (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon adiergastos Seale, 1910	Philippine butterflyfish,	[[File:Bep chaetodon adiergastos.jpg
Chaetodon auriga Forsskål, 1775	Threadfin butterflyfish	[[File:Threadfin butterflyfish, Indo-Pacific form - Chaetodon auriga.jpg
Chaetodon auripes D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901	Oriental butterflyfish	[[File:Oriental butterflyfish (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon collare Bloch, 1787	Redtail butterflyfish,	[[File:Chaetodon collare 1.jpg
Chaetodon decussatus G. Cuvier, 1829	Indian vagabond butterflyfish	[[File:Bep chaetodon decussatus mirrored.jpg
Chaetodon ephippium G. Cuvier, 1831	Saddle butterflyfish	[[File:Saddled butterflyfish (Chaetodon ephippium) (32396204897).jpg
Chaetodon falcula Bloch, 1795	Blackwedged butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon falcula.jpg
Chaetodon fasciatus Forsskål, 1775	Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish,	[[File:Chaetodon fasciatus, Sharm el Sheik.jpg
Chaetodon flavirostris Günther, 1874	Black butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon flavirostris 1 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon lineolatus G. Cuvier, 1831	Lined butterflyfish	[[File:Lined Butterflyfish, Emily Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 118351753 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon lunula (Lacépède, 1802)	Raccoon butterflyfish,	[[File:Chaetodon lunula Réunion.jpg
Chaetodon melannotus Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801	Blackback butterflyfish
Chaetodon mesoleucos Forsskål, 1775	White-faced butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon mesoleucos, Jazan Province Saudi Arabia imported from iNaturalist photo 260752004.jpg
Chaetodon nigropunctatus Sauvage, 1880	Black-spotted butterflyfish	[[File:Pez mariposa de puntos negros (Chaetodon nigropunctatus), islas Ad Dimaniyat, Omán, 2024-08-13, DD 91.jpg
Chaetodon ocellicaudus G. Cuvier, 1831	Spot-tail butterflyfish	[[File:Bep chaetodon ocellicaudus (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon oxycephalus Bleeker, 1853	Spot-naped butterflyfish	[[File:Bep chaetodon oxycephalus.jpg
Chaetodon pictus Forsskål, 1775	Horseshoe butterflyfish
Chaetodon rafflesii Anonymous [Bennett], 1830	Latticed butterflyfish	[[File:Laticed butterflyfish (Chaetodon rafflesii) (35846851640).jpg
Chaetodon semeion Bleeker, 1855	Dotted butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon semeion 277414029 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon semilarvatus G. Cuvier, 1831	Bluecheek butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon semilarvatus 581020123 (cropped).jpg
Chaetodon ulietensis G. Cuvier, 1831	Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish,	[[File:Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish (Chaetodon ulietensis) (32396204187).jpg
Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus, 1758	Vagabond butterflyfish	[[File:Vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus) (43543352951).jpg
Chaetodon wiebeli Kaup, 1863	Hong Kong butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon wiebeli 328446843.jpg
Chaetodon xanthocephalus E. T. Bennett, 1833	Yellowhead butterflyfish	[[File:Yellowhead Butterflyfish - Chaetodon xanthocephalus 2 (cropped).jpg
::

Nota bene: Including Aspilurochaetodon and Chaetodontops. C. auripes, C. gardineri, C. leucopleura, C. nigropunctatus, and C. xanthocephalus are tentatively placed in this group.

''Incertae sedis''

::data[format=table title=""]

Species	Common name	Image
Chaetodon assarius Waite, 1905	West Australian butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon assarius RLS.jpg
Chaetodon dialeucos Salm & Mee, 1989	Oman butterflyfish
Chaetodon humeralis Günther, 1860	Threebanded butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon humeralis 508709618.jpg
Chaetodon marleyi Regan, 1921	Doublesash butterflyfish	[[File:Chaetodon marleyi 15698792.jpg
Chaetodon sanctaehelenae Günther, 1868	Saint Helena butterflyfish
::

Nota bene: most are probably either Chaetodon sensu stricto or C. robustus group.

Fossil species

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Chaetodon_ficheuri.JPG" caption="Fossil specimen of ''[[Chaetodon ficheuri]]''"] ::

The following fossil species are known:

Subgenus †Arambourgchaetodon
- †Chaetodon ficheuri Arambourg, 1927 (Late Miocene of Algeria)
Subgenus †Blumchaetodon
- †Chaetodon wattsi Marramà, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2022 (Early Oligocene of Italy)

The species Chaetodon penniger Bogachev, 1964 from the late Oligocene of Azerbaijan cannot be confidently assigned to this genus due to the incompleteness of the fossil.

Evolution & fossil record

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Chaetodontidae_-_Chaetodon_species.JPG" caption="otoliths]]) referred to ''[[Chaetodon hoefleri]]'' are known from the Late Oligocene of [[Slovenia]] and the mid-late Miocene of Poland."] ::

As it is not easy to distinguish this genus from close relatives, it may be that some Oligocene fossils are actually of other Chaetodontidae. The fossil record of this family is scant, with only Chelmon (or some similar genus like Chelmonops or Coradion) being known from Miocene remains. As even crude molecular clocks suggest that the ancestors of the Chaetodon and the Chelmops lineage diverged in the Late Eocene already, nothing more can be said without new fossils being discovered.

Footnotes

References

Blum, S. D. (1988): Osteology and Phylogeny of the Chaetodontidae (Pisces: Perciformes). University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Fessler, Jennifer L. & Westneat, Mark W. (2007): Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45(1): 50–68.
Hsu, Kui-Ching; Chen, Jeng-Ping & Shao, Kwang-Tsao (2007): Molecular phylogeny of Chaetodon (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: evolution in geminate species pairs and species groups. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 14: 77-86. PDF fulltext
Sepkoski, Jack (2002): [Chaetodon]. In: A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: 560. HTML database excerpt

References

FishBase (2006)
(2007). "Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
(2007). "Molecular phylogeny of ''Chaetodon'' (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: evolution in geminate species pairs and species groups". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement.
Blum (1988)
Kuiter, R. H. 2004. Description of a new species of butterflyfish, ''Roa australis'', from northwestern Australia (Pisces: Perciformes: Chaetodontidae). Records of the Australian Museum v. 56 (no. 2): 167-171.
{{FishBase genus. (2013)
(2022-04-28). "A Rupelian Coral Reef Fish Assemblage from the Venetian Southern Alps (Berici Hills, Ne Italy)". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia.
CARNEVALE, GIORGIO. (2006-02-01). "Morphology and biology of the Miocene butterflyfish Chaetodon ficheuri (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Sepkoski (2002), Fessler & Westneat (2007)
[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=35985 Paleobiology Database]

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