The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae.
Butterflyfish closely resemble the Angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae but are distinguished from the latter by their lack of preopercle spines (part of the gill covers).
Butterflyfish are pelagic spawners; that is, they release many buoyant eggs into the water which then become part of the plankton, floating with the currents until hatching.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Butterflyfish (447 words)
HANAUMA BAY, Hawaii butterflyfish(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
Butterflyfish at Hanauma Bay, on the island of Oahu, Hawai'I
The Ornate Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ornatissimus) is rarely seen, but when it is, it is seen with its companion.
The Threadfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon auriga) distinguished by its upper trailing fin, is also found in the Red Sea and Australia.
Description Spotfin Butterfly - Chaetodon ocellatus(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
The spotfin butterflyfish is commonly found on shallow reefs around Florida, with fewer occurrences throughout the Caribbean.
This butterflyfish grows to a maximum of 8 inches (20 cm) in length, but is more common at lengths of 3-6 inches (7.6-15.2 cm).
The vast majority of young butterflyfish are eaten by shallow water predators, while the survivors quickly locate crevices where they remain until they become adults.
Note the dark band running through the eye; at first, this might seem to be a distinctive feature until you notice that similar markings are present in all five species.
ongsnout Butterflyfish break the traditional family mold by varying somewhat from their relatives in size, shape, habitat and behavior.
uvenile butterflyfish are not only smaller than adults but they also display distinctly different markings.
Copperband(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
The Copperbanded Butterflyfish is very easily recognized by the copper colored vertical bands over a silver body, a fl eye spot near its dorsal fin and a long pointed snout.
Copperbanded butterflyfish are not yet propagated in captivity.
Butterflyfish in general tend to be viewed as potential coral eaters, but Copperband butterflyfish are generally reef safe.
Marine Butterflyfish, Family: Chaetodontidae(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
Butterflyfish, together with the angelfish, are probably the most strikingly beautiful of saltwater fish.
Recently the Raccoon Butterflyfish, Copper-banded Butterflyfish, and Mertens Butterflyfish have been used to rid reef aquariums of the pest anemone aiptasia.
In general though, butterflyfish are a poor choice for a reef aquarium since their natural food often consists of coralpolyps.
Range: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa (Ref. 12484) to the Hawaiian and Easter islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island; throughout Micronesia.
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