Blackback Butterfly Fish

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia 

Phylum: Chordata 

Class: Actinopterygii 

Order : Acanthuriformes

Familly : Chaetodontidae

Genus: Chaetodon 

Chaetodon melannotus

Habitat & Distribution : Hindia-Pasific Ocean

Diet: Alga and coral polyp

Size: Up to 18 Cm

Lifespan: 5-8 Years

Description

Blackback butterflyfish possesses the characteristic shape of butterflyfish: laterally compressed and oval-bodied with a pointed snout. Its body has a white base color with diagonal black stripes running across it. There is a black patch on the rear of the dorsal fin that extends to the base of the caudal fin. The face is yellow, and a horizontal black stripe runs across the eye.

Behavior

The Blackback butterflyfish exhibits very distinctive, calm behavior and is closely tied to the coral reef ecosystem. In the wild, it is diurnal—active during the day and resting at night. As juveniles, they tend to be solitary, hiding among shallow corals; only upon reaching adulthood do they seek a mate or occasionally form small groups.

Reproduksi

The Blackback butterflyfish exhibits very distinctive, calm behavior and is closely tied to the coral reef ecosystem. In the wild, it is diurnal—active during the day and resting at night. As juveniles, they tend to be solitary, hiding among shallow corals; only upon reaching adulthood do they seek a mate or occasionally form small groups.

Communication & Perception

The yellow, white, and black color patterns on their bodies serve as a means of visual communication among members of the same species (intraspecific). These patterns help them recognize mates or fellow members of their species from a distance. Like most butterflyfish, their colors tend to fade at night or when they are startled or stressed.