Description and classification of Butterfly fish – Chaetodon falcula

Butterfly fish (Chaetodon falcula) complete detail. Description and classification of Butterfly fish (Chaetodon falcula). Size of Butterfly fish is between 6 to 20 cm. They prefer open swimming space and plenty of well-structured live rock, caves and crevices for territory,  security and shade.

The body Butterfly fish is colorful, flat, more or less oval, with snout elongated and robust for looking for food among the corals. Chaetodon falcula is a social fish, and found in pairs or small groups (sometime in large groups). They are semi-aggressive and should get along with most other fish in your tank. True Falcula Butterfly fish can be aggressive to other butterfly fish in smaller tanks though.

They lives in the coral formations in relatively shallow waters up to 15 meter of depth. The populations may double in less than 1.5 year. Male and Male can lay eggs, and mate.

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Distinctive Identification

Chaetodon falcula is a beautiful fish and classified as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN. Size of Butterfly fish is between 6 to 20 cm.  

The body Butterfly fish is colorful, flat, more or less oval, with snout elongated and robust for looking for food among the corals. They have a white body with yellow fins.

Chaetodon falcula has a series of narrow vertical dark grey stripes on its sides, two patches of black on the dorsal side, and a black eye band. Eyes are dark bluish.

They are bright yellow and orange over the back, dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin.

Classification

Common Name – Butterfly fish

Local Name – Fakkikadia

Zoological Name – Chaetodon falcula

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Actinopterygii

Order – Perciformes

Family – Chaetodontidae

Genus – Chaetodon

Subgenus – Rabdophorus

Conservational Status – Classified as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.

Distribution

Chaetodon falcula ranges throughout the tropical Indian Ocean from Kenya to northern South Africa on the east African Coast,  East Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Chagos Archipelago, Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, Thailand, Indonesia and then in Vietnam and in Taiwan.

Habit and habitat

They lives in the coral formations in relatively shallow waters up to 15 meter of depth. Found on the reef edge and upper slope.

They prefer open swimming space and plenty of well-structured live rock caves and crevices for territory, security and shade.

Chaetodon falcula is a social fish, and found in pairs or small groups (sometime in large groups). They are semi-aggressive and should get along with most other fish in your tank. True Falcula Butterfly fish can be aggressive to other butterfly fish in smaller tanks though.

Chaetodon falcula feed on anemones, hard corals, mushroom, crustacean flesh, nude branches, and a variety of benthic invertebrates within their natural environment.

The populations may double in less than 1.5 year. Male and Male can lay eggs, and mate. They will need a male to help them incubate the eggs.

The eggs are pelagic and the juveniles resemble a lot to the adults, apart the snout, shorter, and the black bands proportionally more extended.