Butterflyfish Codexery

Chaetodon rainfordi

Last updated

Chaetodon rainfordi

Mark M. Sheperd / Lizard Island Research Station · via Wikipedia: Chaetodon rainfordi · CC BY 3.0

Rainford's butterflyfish is a yellow-bodied species with an orange bar through the eye and blue-grey bands edged in yellow-orange on the body.[1] The maximum recorded total length for this species is 15 cm.[2][3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAcanthuriformes
  6. FamilyChaetodontidae
  7. GenusChaetodon
  8. GenusChaetodon
  9. SpeciesChaetodon rainfordi

Named by McCulloch, 1923

Close relatives

Other species of Chaetodon with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Chaetodon rainfordi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 273358 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Near Threatened (NT)

  1. LC
  2. NT▲ this species
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2010

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Chaetodon rainfordi and a personA 0.15 m long chaetodon rainfordi drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.15 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.15 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Chaetodon rainfordi

Where the chaetodon rainfordi has been recorded

Where the chaetodon rainfordi has been recorded64 mapped locations from 4,061 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (4,061 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 3 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Biology and range

The Fishes of Australia account gives a depth range of 1-15 m.[4] Coral polyps are the exclusive food source for this obligate corallivore.[5][4] Breeding pairs form for reproduction, and the species is oviparous.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The Fishes of Australia account notes that Chaetodon rainfordi may hybridise with the Goldstripe Butterflyfish, Chaetodon aureofasciatus.[4] The Reef Life Survey record states that gold bands often encase broader diffuse dark bars.[6] The Saltcorner account describes a yellowish body with vertical greyish bands edged in brown and a black patch on the caudal peduncle.[7] The GBIF database holds 4,093 occurrence records for this taxon as of October 2026.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon rainfordi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mark McGrouther, "Rainford's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon rainfordi (McCulloch, 1923)", Australian Museum, 13 August 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon rainfordi" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Mark McGrouther, "Rainford's Butterflyfish, Chaetodon rainfordi (McCulloch, 1923)", Australian Museum, 13 August 2019. facts only, no text reused. australian.museum
  4. Bray, D.J., "Chaetodon rainfordi", Fishes of Australia, 2019. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
  5. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon rainfordi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Myers, R.F., "Chaetodon rainfordi", 2010; ; Bray, D.J., "Chaetodon rainfordi", Fishes of Australia, 2019; Myers, R.F., "Chaetodon rainfordi", 2010; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "Chaetodon rainfordi", Reef Life Survey. facts only, no text reused. reeflifesurvey.com
  7. "Chaetodon rainfordi", Saltcorner, 2012. facts only, no text reused. saltcorner.com
  8. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Chaetodon rainfordi (taxon key 2385524). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chaetodon rainfordi (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Chaetodontidae)

Bank butterflyfish Prognathodes aya, Chelmon marginalis Chelmon marginalis, Chelmon muelleri Chelmon muelleri, Copperband butterflyfish Chelmon rostratus, Forcipiger longirostris Forcipiger longirostris, Hemitaurichthys multispinosus Hemitaurichthys multispinosus

Named in this entry

Chaetodon

More in Butterflyfish

Redtail butterflyfishSaddle butterflyfishChaetodon sanctaehelenaeScrawled butterflyfishChaetodon smithiSpeckled butterflyfishSpotband butterflyfishSpot-nape butterflyfishSpot-tail butterflyfishSunburst butterflyfishTeardrop butterflyfishThreadfin butterflyfish

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. To which biological family does the Chaetodon rainfordi belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Chaetodontidae.

2. Who first scientifically described the Chaetodon rainfordi?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Allan Riverstone McCulloch.

3. What is the IUCN Red List category of the Chaetodon rainfordi?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Near Threatened.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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