Lined Butterfly Fish

Lined butterflyfish may grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, which among Chaetodon is matched only by the saddle butterflyfish (C. ephippium), making them about as big as dinner plates. They are white in color, with thin black vertical bars which join a thick black band at the base of the tail and dorsal fin. The tail, dorsal, and anal fins are yellow. The species occurs along the east coast of Africa including the Red Sea and Mozambique Channel, throughout Northern Australia including the Coral Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria, and Timor Sea, and throughout West Indo-Pacific including the Java Sea, South China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Celebes Sea. This uncommon fish is found in pairs or swimming alone, or occasionally in spawning aggregations. It occurs between 2 and 50 m depth, in coral-rich areas of reefs and lagoons.