Fish o’ the day | Teardrop Butterfly

Posted by gerard on December 2, 2008 under Saltwater Fish | Be the First to Comment

The Teardrop Butterflyfish, Chaetodon unimaculatus, is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is found in the Indo-Pacific oceans from Indonesia) to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Ducie islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe and Rapa islands, and throughout Micronesia.

In the Indian Ocean it is replaced by the Yellow Teardrop Butterflyfish (C. interruptus), now considered to be a separate species but previously included in C. unimaculatus as a subspecies. In its subgenus Lepidochaetodon – sometimes considered a separate genus – it is only distantly related to species such as the Sunburst Butterflyfish (C. kleinii) and the Tahiti Butterflyfish (C. trichrous).
Description and ecology
Its length is up to 20 cm (8 in). The Teardrop Butterflyfish is easily identified by the colour pattern of yellow, white towards the belly, and with a black spot below the dorsal fin and a black vertical band through the eye. The caudal fin is transparent. Juveniles are virtually identical to adults in coloration.

They occur in small groups on reef flats, clear lagoon and seaward reefs, and feed on soft and hard corals, polychaetes, small crustaceans, and filamentous algae. In Indonesia, they are usually seen at moderate depths, usually swimming in small groups. Adults mainly occur at depths of 20 to 60 m. Reproduction is oviparous, with monogamous pairs forming during breeding season.

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