The Great Fiji Butterflyfish Count

Blackback butterflyfish

Chaetodon melannotus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Family: Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes) picture (Chmel_uc.jpg) by Yin, Robert
Image for Chaetodon melannotus, Chaetodontidae, Blackback butterflyfish.

AquaMaps | Point map |
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
FishBase name: Blackback butterflyfish
Max. size: 18.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 56281); max. reported age: 20 years
Environment: reef-associated; non-migratory; marine; depth range 4 – 20 m
Climate: tropical; 30°N – 30°S
Importance: aquarium: commercial; price category: not marketed/unknown
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 – 14 years (K = 0.14, tmax = 20)
Vulnerability: Low to moderate vulnerability (33.00), based on Lmax and K (Ref. 59153)
Distribution:
Gazetteer
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island. Throughout Micronesia.
Morphology: Dorsal spines (total): 12 – 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18 – 21; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 16 – 18. Changes color when frightened or when observed at night. The dorsal portion of the body turns black except for two white patches.
Biology: Usually solitary or in pairs in coral-rich areas of reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs to a depth of over 15 m. Juveniles inshore. In pairs or traveling in small groups (Ref. 48636). Feed on octocorallian and scleractinian coral polyps. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). Easy to maintain in the aquarium. Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 30874.
Red List Status: Not Evaluated (Ref. 57073)
Dangerous: harmless
Coordinator:
Main Ref: Myers, R.F.. 1991. (Ref. 1602)