Bluecheek butterflyfish


The blue-cheeked butterflyfish, Chaetodon semilarvatus, is a species of butterflyfish. It is found in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, at depths of between 3 and 20 m.
The blue-cheeked butterflyfish belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. In this group, it seems closest to a group containing the Blackback butterflyfish, the spot-naped butterflyfish, or the peculiar black-wedged butterflyfish and Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish or "false falcula",. Though the present species does not share their white body with black on the back and caudal peduncle and even lacks the typical eyestripe of Chaetodon, it has the same tell-tale blue vertical lines as these species.

Description

Its length is up to. It is mostly yellow, with thin slate blue vertical lines on the sides and a slate blue cheek patch in lieu of the usual black eyestripe of most Chaetodon.

Behavior

This species is one of the few fish species to have long-term mates. In the wild, the fish eats hard corals as well as benthic invertebrates.

Footnotes