Vagabond butterflyfish
Encyclopedia
The Vagabond Butterflyfish, Chaetodon vagabundus, is a species
of butterflyfish
(family
Chaetodontidae). It is found from the Red Sea
and off East Africa
as far east as the Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan
and south to the Austral Islands
.
Threadfin Butterflyfish, Chaetodon auriga
It belongs to the large subgenus
Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus
. In this group, it almost certainly is a rather close relative of the Threadfin Butterflyfish
(C. auriga) and the Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish
(C. decussatus). The latter might be closer to the Threadfin Butterflyfish; as C. vagabundus has yielded abnormal mtDNA 12S rRNA sequence
data this is hard to say however. The C. auriga species group shares the characteristic pattern of two areas of ascending and descending oblique lines; species differ conspicuously in hindpart coloration.
Chaetodon vagabundus are found in reef flats, lagoon
s and seaward reef
s, and sometimes in turbid waters subject to freshwater
runoff. They are omnivorous, known to feed on algae
, coral polyps, crustacean
s and worm
s. These oviparous, monogamous fish form stable pairs with both pair members jointly defending a feeding territory
against other pairs. However they often accompany other species without being aggressive. By the standards of their genus
, they are easily maintained in tanks.
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 from the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and off East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
as far east as the Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and south to the Austral Islands
Austral Islands
The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific. Geographically, they consist of two separate archipelagos, namely in the northwest the Tubuai Islands consisting of the Îles Maria, Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubuai...
.
Threadfin Butterflyfish, Chaetodon auriga
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, it almost certainly is a rather close relative of the Threadfin Butterflyfish
Threadfin butterflyfish
The Threadfin Butterflyfish, Chaetodon auriga, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea and eastern Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Ducie islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island and Rapa Iti, at depths of between 1 and 35...
(C. auriga) and the Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish
Indian vagabond butterflyfish
The Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish, Chaetodon decussatus, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Maldives via India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman Sea to the westernmost portion of the Indonesian archipelago.Growing to a maximum of 20 cm long, it is found on rich...
(C. decussatus). The latter might be closer to the Threadfin Butterflyfish; as C. vagabundus has yielded abnormal mtDNA 12S rRNA sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data this is hard to say however. The C. auriga species group shares the characteristic pattern of two areas of ascending and descending oblique lines; species differ conspicuously in hindpart coloration.
Chaetodon vagabundus are found in reef flats, lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s and seaward reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s, and sometimes in turbid waters subject to freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
runoff. They are omnivorous, known to feed on algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, coral polyps, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s. These oviparous, monogamous fish form stable pairs with both pair members jointly defending a feeding territory
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
against other pairs. However they often accompany other species without being aggressive. By the standards of their 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...
, they are easily maintained in tanks.