Blackwedged butterflyfish
Encyclopedia
The Black-wedged Butterflyfish, Chaetodon falcula, is a species
of butterflyfish
(family
Chaetodontidae). IT is found in the Indian Ocean
, from eastern Africa
south to 27°S and east to Indonesia
.
It grows to a maximum of 20 cm (nearly 8 in) long. Its shape is reminiscent of longsnout butterflyfish
, though the snout is not as extremely prolonged and the pattern is very different. The body is white with a series of narrow vertical dark grey lines and bright yellow and orange over the back, dorsal fin
, anal fin and caudal fin. There are two well-defined black saddles on the back, and as usual the characteristic black eye-band of Chaetodon is present.
The Black-wedged Butterflyfish is found on the reef edge and upper slope. It prefers current-prone habitats 1-20 m deep. It mainly feeds on invertebrates.
It belongs to the large subgenus
Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus
. In this group, the closest relative of this peculiar species is the similar-looking Pacific Double-saddle Butterflyfish
or "False Falcula", C. ulietensis. Other fairly close relatives are the quite differently-shaped but similarly colored Lined
(C. lineolatus) and Spot-naped butterflyfishes (C. oxycephalus), while the Blue-cheeked Butterflyfish (C. semilarvatus) seems to be a far more basal lineage relative to all of these. The bluish vertical lines are present in all of these, while a white body with yellow behind and black on back and caudal peduncle are only shared among the four less ancient species.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of butterflyfish
Butterflyfish
The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. Found mostly on the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, there are approximately 120 species in 10 genera...
(family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Chaetodontidae). IT is found in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, from eastern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
south to 27°S and east to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
It grows to a maximum of 20 cm (nearly 8 in) long. Its shape is reminiscent of longsnout butterflyfish
Longsnout butterflyfish
Longsnout butterflyfish could refer to:* Chelmon rostratus * Forcipiger flavissimus * Forcipiger longirostris...
, though the snout is not as extremely prolonged and the pattern is very different. The body is white with a series of narrow vertical dark grey lines and bright yellow and orange over the back, dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
, anal fin and caudal fin. There are two well-defined black saddles on the back, and as usual the characteristic black eye-band of Chaetodon is present.
The Black-wedged Butterflyfish is found on the reef edge and upper slope. It prefers current-prone habitats 1-20 m deep. It mainly feeds on invertebrates.
It belongs to the large subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. In this group, the closest relative of this peculiar species is the similar-looking Pacific Double-saddle Butterflyfish
Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish
The Pacific Double-saddle Butterflyfish or False Furcula Butterflyfish , is a species of butterflyfish . It flourishes in coral-rich environments in the Indo-Pacific region. Their range extends from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the Tuamotu Islands, and north to Japan...
or "False Falcula", C. ulietensis. Other fairly close relatives are the quite differently-shaped but similarly colored Lined
Lined butterflyfish
The Lined Butterflyfish is a butterflyfish , one of the largest species in the genus Chaetodon...
(C. lineolatus) and Spot-naped butterflyfishes (C. oxycephalus), while the Blue-cheeked Butterflyfish (C. semilarvatus) seems to be a far more basal lineage relative to all of these. The bluish vertical lines are present in all of these, while a white body with yellow behind and black on back and caudal peduncle are only shared among the four less ancient species.