Atoll Butterflyfish
| Chaetodon mertensii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Chaetodontidae |
| Genus: | Chaetodon (but see text) |
| Subgenus: | Rhombochaetodon (disputed) |
| Species: | C. mertensii |
| Binomial name | |
|
Chaetodon mertensii G. Cuvier, 1831 |
|
Chaetodon mertensii, the atoll butterflyfish or Merten's butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is found in the Pacific Ocean from the Ryukyu Islands to the Philippines and extending to Lord Howe Island, Rapa Iti and the Tuamotus.
It grows to a maximum of 12.5 cm (5 in) long. Body color is white with 5-7 chevron-shaped dark grey bands on the sides. The posterior portion of the trunk, the adjacent dorsal and anal fins, and the posterior portion of the caudal fin are orange or yellow. A vertical black bar runs across the eye and over the nape without a break; in the similar species there is a separate nape spot and eyestripe.
The atoll butterflyfish is found in deep lagoons and seaward reefs at 10–120 m depth. It feeds on algae and small benthic invertebrates.
Chaetodon mertensii is one of the "crowned" butterflyfishes. These form a group of largely allopatric species sharing the overall color pattern of dark forward-pointing chevrons on silvery hues, a (usually) black-and-white crown spot and yellow to red hindparts to a stunning degree; they differ in the exact combination of hues and some small pattern details. Other members of this lineage are the closely related Eritrean (C. paucifasciatus) and Seychelles Butterflyfishes (C. madagaskariensis), and the more distant Pearlscale Butterflyfish (C. xanthurus).
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