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Ornate Butterflyfish
Chaetodon ornatissimus Cuvier, 1831
An Ornate Butterflyfish at a depth of 15m, Tijou Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. View larger image.
An Ornate Butterflyfish at a depth of 15m, St Crispin's Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 2001. View larger image.
The Ornate Butterflyfish is easily recognised by its colour pattern. It usually has six oblique orange stripes on the body, and black and yellow bars on the head. Between the eyes is a greyish triangular mark. The tail has two black bars.
This species grows to 18cm in length.
It feeds on coral polyps.
The Ornate Butterflyfish is found in tropical marine waters throughout the Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is known from central to north-western Western Australia and the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
