Copperband Butterflyfish

Flits

Copperband Butterflyfish

Chelmon rostratus

Copper bands on a white body. Pokes into rock crevices with its long beak.

Group
Angelfishes & butterflyfishes
Family
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)
Size
About 20 cm long
Habitat
Coral and rocky reefs of the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific

About

A white body with copper bands outlined in black. Its long, beak-like snout lets it pick small animals out of cracks in rocks and coral.

The black eyespot near the back of its dorsal fin stands out more than its real eye, which is hidden inside a band. This is thought to confuse predators about which end is the head.

In Fish Around

It hovers around the rocks and then flits a short way, never staying still for long.

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