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Speckled Butterflyfish
Chaetodon citrinellus Cuvier, 1831
A Speckled Butterflyfish at a depth of 15m, "Pixie's Pinnacle", Ribbon Reefs north of Port Douglas, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. View larger image.
The Speckled Butterflyfish can be recognised by its colouration. It is white to yellow with numerous dots on the body. A black bar passes through the eye, and the caudal fin is transparent.
This species bears a superficial resemblance to several other species including Günther's butterflyfish Chaetodon guentheri (view fact sheet). The black lower anal fin margin of C.citrinellus distinguishes it from other species.
The Speckled Butterflyfish grows to 13cm in length.
It eats coral polyps, algae, and polychaete worms.
This species is usually found in very shallow (1-3m) coral reefs, however it is sometimes seen in water over 30m deep.
The Speckled Butterflyfish is recorded from tropical marine waters throughout the Indo-West and Central Pacific.
In Australia it is known to occur from central to north-western Western Australia and the northern Great Barrier Reef to central New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
