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Species: Chaetodon striatus, Banded butterflyfish

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silver + 4 black bars
juv: 4 bars + ocellus on D
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Chaetodon striatus Linnaeus, 1758

Banded butterflyfish

Body a strongly compressed oval disc; mouth small, at end of a short, pointed snout; cheek bone free and smooth; teeth long and slender, in bands of 9-10 rows on each jaw; dorsal rays XII (front spines not elongated), 19-20; anal rays III, 16-17, 2nd anal spine longer than 3rd; rear edges of dorsal and anal fins bluntly angular; tail edge rounded; scales rough, covering dorsal and anal fins as well as head and body; lateral line in a high arch, incomplete (ends under dorsal fin), with 37-42 scales; with a large "axillary process" scale at the upper base of the pelvic fins.

Adult: Silvery white with thin black chevron lines on body; 4 prominent black bars, one through eye to nape, one at level of pectoral fin, one at the level of the front of the soft dorsal and anal, and one from soft dorsal across tail base to anal fin base; a broad black stripe along soft dorsal and anal; a broad black bar near outer part of tail fin. Juvenile: similar to adult but with a large ocellus on soft dorsal fin, and no bar on the tail fin.

Size: attains 20 cm.

Habitat: a common species on reefs, juveniles common in seagrass beds.

Depth: 0-109 m.

North Carolina to Brazil.

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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Rocks
  • Corals
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Sea anemones
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Carnivore
  • Corallivore
Diet
  • Sessile worms
  • Soft corals/hydroids
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Hard corals
  • Data
Egg Type
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
  • Data
Global Endemism
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Also in Brazil
  • Extends North of GC
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 20
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 109