Chaetodon rafflesii Anonymous

Appearance

Chaetodon rafflesii, commonly known as the latticed butterflyfish, is a primarily yellow butterflyfish. Its scales have dark edges that form a dark lattice pattern along its flanks. A vertical black bar runs through its eye, and it has a blue patch on its forehead.

Fin Markings

The soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin has a dark submarginal band, and a wide black bar runs through the center of the caudal fin. Some individuals have a black spot beneath the spiny section of the dorsal fin, and juveniles have a dark spot on the soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin.

Fin Counts

Its dorsal fin contains 12 to 13 spines and 21 to 23 soft rays, while its anal fin has 3 spines and 18 to 20 soft rays.

Size

This species reaches a maximum total length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in), with 15 centimetres (5.9 in) being a more common total length.

The latticed butterflyfish occurs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, ranging from Sri Lanka to the Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef, and from Palau (Belau) to the eastern Caroline Islands in Micronesia.

Habitat

This is an uncommon species that lives in areas with rich coral growth in lagoons, protected reef flats, and seaward reefs at depths between 1 and 20 metres (3.3–65.6 ft).

Diet and Behavior

It feeds on sea anemones, polychaetes, and octocorallian and scleractinian coral polyps, and is normally observed in pairs.