Butterflyfish Codexery

Indian vagabond butterflyfish

Last updated

Indian vagabond butterflyfish

Charles Alexandre Lesueur · Public domain

It is also called the blackened butterflyfish or black-finned vagabond.[1] This species grows to a maximum of 20 cm (nearly 8 in) long.[2] A marine ray-finned butterflyfish belonging to the Chaetodontidae family is the Indian vagabond butterflyfish, also called Chaetodon decussatus.[1]

Scientific classification

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

Named by G. Cuvier, 1829

Close relatives

Other species of Chaetodon with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Indian vagabond butterflyfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 273333 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  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: Indian vagabond butterflyfish and a personA 0.2 m long indian vagabond butterflyfish drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.2 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.2 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Indian vagabond butterflyfish

Where the indian vagabond butterflyfish has been recorded

Where the indian vagabond butterflyfish has been recorded56 mapped locations from 400 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (400 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 7 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 species inhabits rich coral reefs, rubble, and rocky areas.[2] Juveniles are solitary.[1] It was first formally described in 1829 by French anatomist Georges Cuvier, with the type locality given as "India".[1] Diagonal grey lines and a wide black vertical band crossing the eyes mark the silvery-white body of the Indian vagabond butterflyfish.[2][3]

Black coloration covers much of the lower rear section of the body.[2] Algae and coral polyps make up the majority of this fish's diet.[1]

What the specialist sources record

The Saltcorner account notes the species is not reef-tank suitable and is likely fish-only tank suitable.[3] The same source gives its range as the Indian Ocean: Andaman Sea, south to the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.[3] The World Register of Marine Species lists the species as Chaetodon decussatus Cuvier, 1829, accepted, in the order Acanthuriformes.[4] GBIF holds 469 occurrence records for this taxon as of 7 October 2026.[5]

The Saltcorner account places it in the order Perciformes, suborder Percoidei, family Chaetodontidae.[3]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Indian vagabond butterflyfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Indian vagabond butterflyfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chaetodon decussatus", Saltcorner, 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Chaetodon decussatus", Saltcorner, 2012. facts only, no text reused. saltcorner.com
  4. World Register of Marine Species, Chaetodon decussatus (AphiaID 273333). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  5. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Chaetodon decussatus (taxon key 2385588). 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 Indian vagabond butterflyfish (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

Genus

More in Butterflyfish

Chaetodon larvatusChaetodon leucopleuraLined butterflyfishMailed butterflyfishMelon butterflyfishChaetodon mertensiiChaetodon mesoleucosMillet butterflyfishMirror butterflyfishChaetodon nigropunctatusChaetodon nipponOman butterflyfish

Test yourself

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

1. Who first scientifically described the Indian vagabond butterflyfish?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Georges Cuvier.

2. To which biological family does the Indian vagabond butterflyfish belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Chaetodontidae.

3. In what year was the Indian vagabond butterflyfish first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1829.

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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