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Merten's Butterflyfish
Chaetodon mertensii Cuvier, 1831
A Merten's Butterflyfish at a depth of 17m, Steve's Bommie, Ribbon Reef #3, Great Barrier Reef, off Cooktown, Queensland, December 2001. View larger image.
A Merten's Butterflyfish at a depth of 16m, Bougainville Reef, Coral Sea, December 2000. View larger image.
Merten's Butterflyfish is most easily recognised by its distinctive colouration. It is white with 6-7 black chevron-shaped markings on the body. The posterior portion of the body and dorsal, anal and caudal fins are yellow-orange. There is a black, silver-edged bar through they eye and a dark mark on the nape (glossary).
Merten's Butterflyfish grows to 12.5cm in length.
It eats algae and bottom-dwelling invertebrates.
It is a marine species that is widely distributed through the Indo-West Pacific. In Australia it is known from the northern Great Barrier Reef south to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
