Oman butterflyfish

Lore & Background

The Oman butterflyfish has a greyish body with dark brown scale margins, a broad vertical white bar behind the head, and a white mouth. Its caudal fin is black and slightly rounded. Juveniles differ by having a sharply defined white stripe behind the eye and a white caudal fin. The species grows to a maximum total length of 18 centimeters. It was first formally described in 1989 by Rodney V. Salm and Kevin Mee, with the type locality southwest of Barr al Hikman in the Sultanate of Oman. Some authorities place it within the large subgenus Rabdophorus, while others consider it incertae sedis.

Reader's Guide

The Oman butterflyfish is a marine ray-finned fish of the family Chaetodontidae, found in the northwestern Indian Ocean along the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Oman. It inhabits rocky and coral reefs, as well as patches of coral on sloping sandy seabeds, at depths of 5 to 25 meters. Its diet consists of coral polyps, sea anemones, worms, crustaceans, and algae. It is an oviparous species that forms pairs for spawning. The species was first formally described in 1989 by Rodney V. Salm and Kevin Mee, with the type locality given as southwest of Barr al Hikman in the Sultanate of Oman. Its taxonomic placement is disputed: some authorities place it within the large subgenus Rabdophorus, while others consider it incertae sedis. This uncertainty reflects ongoing debate among ichthyologists regarding its classification within the genus Chaetodon.

Did You Know?

• The Oman butterflyfish has a black, slightly rounded caudal fin.
• Juveniles have a white caudal fin and a sharply defined white stripe behind the eye.
• Its taxonomic placement is disputed; some authorities place it in the subgenus Rabdophorus, others consider it incertae sedis.