Banded Butterflyfish
Chaetodon striatus
Four-eyed Butterflyfish
Chaetodon capistratus
About
The four-eyed butterflyfish gets its name from a clever trick: a false eye near its tail that can confuse a hungry predator about which way it is facing. It grows up to about 15 cm and is a common sight on shallow reefs.
Also known as: foureye butterflyfish, butterfly
- Length
- 15 cm
- Depth
- up to 20 m
How to tell it apart
Several butterflyfish carry a false eye-spot near the tail, but this species shows just one clean black spot per side, ringed in white, without extra bands or spots nearby.
Appearance
This fish has a deep, flattened body, light grey with a yellowish tinge, marked with narrow dark diagonal lines that form forward-pointing chevrons along the sides. Near the tail on each side sits a large black spot ringed in white, while its real eyes are smaller and harder to spot, crossed by a black vertical bar. Its mouth is small, with tiny bristle-like teeth.
Behaviour
It swims through tight coral passages with unusual skill, sometimes tipping onto its side or turning upside down to fit through gaps. When it cannot escape a predator, it will turn to face the threat with its head down and spines raised, making itself look too spiny to be worth eating. It is often seen in pairs.
Diet
It feeds on a wide range of small reef invertebrates, including zoantharians, sea anemones, stony corals, gorgonian sea fans, tube worms, and tunicates, along with crustaceans and fish eggs.
Did you know?
When cornered, it turns to face its attacker head-on with its spines raised, like a bull about to charge.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
