Banded Butterflyfish
Chaetodon striatus
Saddle butterflyfish
Chaetodon ephippium
About
The saddle butterflyfish is a large butterflyfish found on reefs across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It grows up to 30 cm long.
Also known as: saddle butterflyfish, saddle-back butterflyfish, saddleback butterflyfish, saddled butterflyfish, saddled coralfish, saddled coralfish, saddled butterflyfish, saddleback butterflyfish, black-blotched butterfly-fish, saddle-back butterflyfish, saddle butterflyfish, black-blotched butterfly-fish
- Length
- 30 cm
- Depth
- up to 30 m
How to tell it apart
Look for the large black spot on the back with a wide white band running beneath it, like a saddle. This marking stays fixed and is easy to spot from a distance, even before the fish's other colours are clear.
Appearance
Its body is yellowish-grey overall. A large black spot sits on the back, bordered below by a broad white band, with wavy blue lines running along the lower sides. The throat and the outline of the rear of the body are bright yellow. Adults trail a thin filament from the upper part of the soft dorsal fin.
Did you know?
Together with the lined butterflyfish, it is one of the two largest species in its genus, far bigger than most of its relatives on the reef.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
