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Chaetodon
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- "Rabdophorus" redirects here. For the beetle genus, see Rhabdophorus
Chaetodon is a tropical fish genus in the family Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living species included here, though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.
Several subgenera have been proposed for splitting out of this massive group.
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Encyclopedia
- "Rabdophorus" redirects here. For the beetle genus, see Rhabdophorus
Chaetodon is a tropical fish genus in the family Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living species included here, though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.
Several subgenera have been proposed for splitting out of this massive group. By and by, it is becoming clear how the genus might be split up, with a range of DNA sequence data in large parts agreeing with S.D. Blum's landmark 1988 phylogenetic assessment of osteology.
Basically, a core group around the type species Chaetodon capistratus would remain in Chaetodon, while maybe 4 clades would be split off. These could use the names Lepidochaetodon, Megaprotodon and Rabdophorus, and there is one unnamed group containing the Three-banded Butterflyfish (C. robustus) and its relatives. But the monophyly of the Lepidochaetodon group is not fully established; it is both unclear whether Rhombochaetodon is a lineage distinct from Exornator, and whether Lepidochaetodon is indeed closer to these than to any other Chaetodon, particularly to some lineages otherwise placed in Megaprotodon.
Prognathodes, for some time contained in Chaetodon, is worthy of recognition as full genus in any case. Genus status of Parachaetodon and Roa is possible, but not well-studied yet.
The oldest fossils that are usually assigned to Chaetodon date from the late Oligocene, about 25 million years ago. But since it is not easy to distinguish this genus from close relatives, it may be that the Oligocene fossils are actually of other Chaetodontidae. The fossil record of this family is scant indeed, only Chelmon (or some similar genus like Chelmonops or Coradion) being known from Miocene remains. As even crude molecular clocks suggest that the ancestors of the Chaetodon and the Chelmops lineage diverged in the Late Eocene already, nothing more can be said without new fossils being discovered.
Historically, more distantly related fish were placed in Chaetodon too, for resembling them in details – e.g. the common scat Scatophagus argus, which has a similar shape and size, as well as armored larvae like the Chaetodontidae – or simply because they are colorful, smallish, and unusually-looking – e.g. the quite unrelated Paradise Fish, as C. chinensis.
Species
Chaetodon sensu stricto
C. robustus group
- Chaetodon hoefleri Steindachner, 1881 – Four-banded butterflyfish
- Chaetodon robustus – Three-banded butterflyfish
Lepidochaetodon group
Subgenus Exornator (including Burgessius, Heterochaetodon and possibly Rhombochaetodon; tentatively placed here)
Chaetodon citrinellus – Speckled butterflyfish, Citron butterflyfish Chaetodon dolosus – African butterflyfish Chaetodon guentheri Ahl, 1923 – Crochet butterflyfish Chaetodon guttatissimus – Peppered butterflyfish Chaetodon miliaris – Millet butterflyfish Chaetodon multicinctus Garrett, 1863 – Pebbled butterflyfish Chaetodon pelewensis Kner, 1868 – Sunset butterflyfish Chaetodon punctatofasciatus – Spotband butterflyfish Chaetodon quadrimaculatus – Fourspot butterflyfish Chaetodon sedentarius – Reef butterflyfish
Subgenus Lepidochaetodon (including Tifia)
- Chaetodon daedalma Jordan & Fowler, 1902 – Wrought-iron butterflyfish (tentatively placed here)
- Chaetodon interruptus – Yellow teardrop butterflyfish (formerly in C. unimaculatus)
- Chaetodon kleinii – Sunburst butterflyfish, black-lipped butterflyfish, Klein's butterflyfish
- Chaetodon litus – Easter Island butterflyfish (tentatively placed here)
- Chaetodon nippon Döderlein, 1883 – Japanese butterflyfish (tentatively placed here)
- Chaetodon smithi Randall, 1975 – Smith's butterflyfish (tentatively placed here)
- Chaetodon trichrous Günther, 1874 – Tahiti butterflyfish
- Chaetodon unimaculatus – Teardrop butterflyfish
Subgenus Rhombochaetodon (including Roaops, might belong in Exornator; tentatively placed here)
Chaetodon argentatus Smith & Radcliffe, 1911 – Asian butterflyfish Chaetodon blackburnii Desjardins, 1836 – Brownburnie (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon burgessi Allen & Starck, 1973 – Burgess' butterflyfish Chaetodon declivis Randall, 1975 – Marquesas butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon flavocoronatus – Yellow-crowned butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon fremblii Bennett, 1828 – Blue-striped butterflyfish Chaetodon madagaskariensis – Seychelles butterflyfish Chaetodon mertensii – Atoll butterflyfish Chaetodon mitratus Günther, 1860 – Indian butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon paucifasciatus – Eritrean butterflyfish, Crown butterflyfish Chaetodon tinkeri – Hawaiian butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon xanthurus – Pearlscale butterflyfish, Philippines chevron butterflyfish, yellow-tailed butterflyfish
Megaprotodon group
Subgenus "Citharoedus" (tentatively placed here)
Subgenus Corallochaetodon (tentatively placed here)
Chaetodon austriacus – Blacktail butterflyfish, exquisite butterflyfish Chaetodon lunulatus – Oval butterflyfish, red-finned butterflyfish Chaetodon melapterus Guichenot, 1863 – Arabian butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon trifasciatus – Melon butterflyfish
Subgenus Discochaetodon
- Chaetodon aureofasciatus Macleay, 1878 – Golden butterflyfish
- Chaetodon octofasciatus – Eightband butterflyfish
- Chaetodon rainfordi McCulloch, 1923 – Rainford's butterflyfish
- Chaetodon tricinctus Waite, 1901 – Three-striped butterflyfish (tentatively placed here)
Subgenus Gonochaetodon (tentatively placed here)
Chaetodon baronessa – Eastern triangular butterflyfish Chaetodon larvatus Cuvier, 1831 – Hooded butterflyfish Chaetodon triangulum Cuvier, 1831 – Triangle butterflyfish
Subgenus Megaprotodon
Subgenus Tetrachaetodon
Chaetodon andamanensis Kuiter & Debelius, 1999 – Andaman butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon bennetti – Bluelashed butterflyfish Chaetodon plebeius Cuvier, 1831 – Blue-blotched butterflyfish Chaetodon speculum – Mirror butterflyfish Chaetodon zanzibarensis Playfair, 1867 – Zanzibar butterflyfish
Parachaetodon group
Chaetodon oligacanthus Bleeker, 1850 – Sixspine butterflyfish (if separated, name becomes Parachaetodon ocellatus)
Rabdophorus group
Including Aspilurochaetodon, Chaetodontops
Chaetodon adiergastos – Philippine butterflyfish Chaetodon auriga – Threadfin butterflyfish Chaetodon auripes Jordan & Snyder, 1901 – Oriental butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon collare – Redtail butterflyfish, Pakistani butterflyfish Chaetodon decussatus – Indian vagabond butterflyfish Chaetodon ephippium – Saddle butterflyfish Chaetodon falcula – Blackwedged butterflyfish Chaetodon fasciatus – Diagonal butterflyfish, Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish Chaetodon flavirostris Günther, 1874 – Black butterflyfish Chaetodon gardineri Norman, 1939 – Gardner's butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon leucopleura Playfair, 1867 – Somali butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon lineolatus – Lined butterflyfish Chaetodon lunula – Raccoon butterflyfish, Crescent-masked butterflyfish, lunule butterflyfish Chaetodon melannotus – Blackback butterflyfish Chaetodon mesoleucos Forsskċl, 1775 – White-faced butterflyfish Chaetodon nigropunctatus Sauvage, 1880 – Black-spotted butterflyfish (tentatively placed here) Chaetodon ocellicaudus – Spot-tail butterflyfish Chaetodon oxycephalus – Spot-naped butterflyfish Chaetodon rafflesii – Latticed butterflyfish Chaetodon selene – Yellow-dotted butterflyfish Chaetodon semeion – Dotted butterflyfish Chaetodon semilarvatus – Bluecheek butterflyfish Chaetodon ulietensis – Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish, false falcula butterflyfish Chaetodon vagabundus – Vagabond butterflyfish Chaetodon wiebeli Kaup, 1863 – Hongkong butterflyfish Chaetodon xanthocephalus – Yellowhead butterflyfish (tentatively placed here)
Roa group
Chaetodon excelsa (Jordan, 1921) – Hawaiian gold-barred butterflyfish Chaetodon jayakari Norman, 1939 – Indian gold-barred butterflyfish Chaetodon modestus Temminck & Schlegel, 1844 – Brown-banded butterflyfish
Incertae sedis
Most are probably either Chaetodon sensu stricto or C. robustus group.
Chaetodon assarius Waite, 1905 – West Australian butterflyfish Chaetodon dialeucos Salm & Mee, 1989 – Oman butterflyfish Chaetodon hemichrysus Burgess & Randall, 1978 – Half-yellow butterflyfish Chaetodon humeralis Günther, 1860 Chaetodon marleyi – Marley's butterflyfish Chaetodon sanctaehelenae Günther, 1868 – Saint Helena butterflyfish
Footnotes
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