Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes
(Perch-likes) > Chaetodontidae
Etymology: Chaetodon: Greek, chaite = hair + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; reef-associated; depth range ? - 30 m (Ref. 86942). Tropical; 30°N - 30°S
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 13 - 15 cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5372); common length : 12.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5450)
Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Hawaiian and Tuamoto islands. However, the Pacific population has been recognized as a distinct subspecies (Chaetodon trifasciatus lunulatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) by Burgess (Ref. 4855) while according to Randall, pers. comm. 1995, Chaetodon trifasciatus occurs only in the Indian Ocean, while Chaetodon lunulatus occurs only in the Pacific.
Occur in coral-rich lagoons and semi-protected seaward reefs. Territorial and aggressive to other Chaetodon. Small juveniles secretive in corals (Ref. 48636). Swim in pairs. Feed exclusively on coral polyps, particularly of the Pocillopora type (Ref. 5503, 48636). Oviparous (Ref. 205), monogamous (Ref. 52884). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02344 (0.01595 - 0.03445), b=3.06 (2.94 - 3.18), based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.3 ±0.6 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K>1).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .