Butterflyfish Codexery

Chaetodon triangulum

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Chaetodon triangulum

BEDO (Thailand) · via Wikipedia: Chaetodon triangulum · CC BY-SA 4.0

The species is not considered reef-tank suitable and is best left in the wild.[1] The greatest total length recorded for this fish is 16 cm.[2]

Scientific classification

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

Named by Cuvier, 1831

Close relatives

Other species of Chaetodon with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Chaetodon triangulum (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 218748 (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: Chaetodon triangulum and a personA 0.16 m long chaetodon triangulum drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.16 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.16 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

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

Where the chaetodon triangulum has been recorded

Where the chaetodon triangulum has been recorded63 mapped locations from 294 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (294 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 14 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

Chaetodon triangulum has a flat triangular body with an elongated snout and whitish colouration with vertical grey chevron bands.[3] Its mouth is orange, and a brownish orange band runs through the eye, widening on the dorsal fin base in adults.[3] The caudal peduncle and caudal fin are black with yellow margins, and the dorsal fin has 11-12 spines and 23-26 soft rays.[4] The anal fin is composed of 3 spines and between 20 and 21 soft rays.[4]

This fish inhabits lagoon and seaward reef environments and has a strong connection to Acropora corals, particularly staghorn varieties.[2] Pairs of this territorial species defend territories, while young individuals that are solitary hide among the branches of corals.[2] Acropora corals make up the primary diet of Chaetodon triangulum, which is an obligate corallivore.[2] Butterflyfishes from other species are actively chased away by pairs that defend their patches of these corals.[5]

Sightings near Bali and occurrences at the Seribu Islands have been documented.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The Saltcorner account gives the range as the Indian Ocean from Madagascar to the Andaman Sea and western Indonesian Archipelago.[1] The World Register of Marine Species places the species in the family Chaetodontidae, order Acanthuriformes, class Teleostei.[6] GBIF records the species under order Perciformes and family Chaetodontidae, with 506 occurrence records as of 7 October 2026.[7]

References

  1. "Chaetodon triangulum", Saltcorner, 2012. facts only, no text reused. saltcorner.com
  2. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon triangulum" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon triangulum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chaetodon triangulum", Monaco Nature Encyclopedia, 18 February 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon triangulum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chaetodon triangulum", Saltcorner, 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Chaetodon triangulum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Myers, R.F., "Chaetodon triangulum", 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. World Register of Marine Species, Chaetodon triangulum (AphiaID 218748). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Chaetodon triangulum (taxon key 10675465). 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 triangulum (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, Hemitaurichthys multispinosus Hemitaurichthys multispinosus

Named in this entry

Chaetodon

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Chaetodon ulietensisVagabond butterflyfishWest Australian butterflyfishChaetodon wiebeliYellow teardrop butterflyfishYellow-dotted butterflyfishYellowhead butterflyfishChaetodon zanzibarensisCopperband butterflyfishChelmon marginalisChelmon muelleriForcipiger longirostris

Test yourself

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

1. In what year was Chaetodon triangulum first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1831.

2. Who first scientifically described the Chaetodon triangulum?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Georges Cuvier.

3. To which biological family does the Chaetodon triangulum belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Chaetodontidae.

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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