Chaetodon smithi

Lore & Background

Smith's butterflyfish has the anterior half of the body and associated fins dark brown while the posterior half and fins are yellow. The posterior soft rayed part of the dorsal fin and the anal fin have blue margins. The separation of the two colour blocs on the body is irregular and the spines of the dorsal fin are also yellow over the brown anterior part of the body. It attains a maximum total length of 19 centimetres (7.5 in).

This species is endemic to the south western Pacific Ocean where it has only been recorded from the British Overseas Territory of Pitcairn Island and Rapa Iti and Marotiri, the Ilots de Basse, in French Polynesia. There has been a single confirmed record from Easter Island. It occurs on rocky reefs with dense growth of algae and at least a little coral, often encountered in large aggregations in the middle of the water column where they feed on zooplankton. This oviparous species forms pairs for breeding.

The species was described in 1975 by the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall with the type locality given as off Young's Rock, Pitcairn Island. The type specimens were collected by the ichthyologist C. Lavett Smith, Jr. of the American Museum of Natural History and whom Randall honoured with its specific name.

Reader's Guide

Smith's butterflyfish is a rarely encountered species in the aquarium trade, noted as extremely rare in that trade. It is on display at the Waikiki Aquarium. Its restricted distribution—recorded only from Pitcairn Island, Rapa Iti, Marotiri, and a single confirmed record from Easter Island—makes it a species of interest for biogeography. The species was described in 1975 by John Ernest Randall, who named it after C. Lavett Smith, Jr., the collector of the type specimens. Its biology includes forming pairs for breeding and feeding on zooplankton in large aggregations in the middle of the water column on rocky reefs with algae and some coral. The maximum total length is 19 cm (7.5 in).