Klein's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon kleinii Bloch, 1790

Scientific name: Chaetodon kleinii
Alternative name/s:
Brown Butterflyfish, White-spotted Butterflyfish
  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther
  • Updated
    07/04/22
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Klein's Butterflyfish Click to enlarge image
A Klein's Butterflyfish at a depth of 12 m, Horseshoe Reef, west of Great Detached Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 2001. Image: Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Chaetodon
    Species
    kleinii
    Family
    Chaetodontidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 14 cm in length.

Introduction

About Klein's Butterflyfish

Klein's Butterflyfish has a dusky yellow body with a white bar on the side. Klein's Butterflyfish is found widely in tropical marine waters throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Identification

What does the Klein's Butterflyfish look like?

Klein's Butterflyfish has a dusky yellow body with a white bar on the side. Its head is white and the pelvic fins are black. A black bar runs through the eye. In adults, this bar is blue above the eye.

Distribution

Where is the Klein's Butterflyfish found?

Klein's Butterflyfish is found widely in tropical marine waters throughout the Indo-Pacific. In Australia it is known from central to north-western Western Australia and from the northern Great Barrier Reef to the south coast of New South Wales.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

References

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
  3. Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
  4. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
  5. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  6. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  7. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.