Butterflyfish Codexery

Brownburnie

A drab butterflyfish found in the western Indian Ocean.

Last updated

Brownburnie

Philippe Bourjon · via Wikipedia: Brownburnie · CC BY-SA 3.0

The brownburnie is a butterflyfish with a brownish black body and a bright yellow head and front part of the body.[1] Because its colouration is relatively dull, this fish is uncommon in the aquarium trade.[2]

Scientific classification

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

Named by Desjardins, 1836

Close relatives

Other species of Chaetodon with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Brownburnie (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 218757 (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

Where the brownburnie has been recorded

Where the brownburnie has been recorded36 mapped locations from 248 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Mbhashe RiverMbhashe River

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (248 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) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Scientific name
Chaetodon blackburnii
Family
Chaetodontidae
Dorsal fin spines
16
Dorsal fin soft rays
21-23
Anal fin spines
3
Anal fin soft rays
17-18

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

The brownburnie is oviparous, with males and females mating as pairs.[3] The western Indian Ocean is the natural habitat of the brownburnie.[4] From Kenya down to the Mbhashe River in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, this species occurs along the East African coast.[4] Shallow rocky reefs and calm bays where coral growth is limited are the environments this fish occupies.[2]

Brownburnies are observed either alone or in twos.[2] Benthic invertebrates like bivalves, soft coral polyps, crustaceans, and worms, together with zooplankton, make up its omnivorous diet.[3] While the pelvic fins are a vivid yellow, the dark body colouration spreads onto both the dorsal and anal fins.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The Saltcorner account gives the maximum size as 5 inches (12 cm) and the range as the Southwest Indian Ocean, including Kenya, Madagascar, and Mauritius.[6] That same source describes the natural environment as shallow rocky reefs and calm bays with marginal coral growth, and lists its diet as clams, soft coral polyps, crustaceans, and worms.[6] The World Register of Marine Species records the accepted name as Chaetodon blackburnii Desjardins, 1836, placing it in the family Chaetodontidae and order Acanthuriformes.[7] GBIF lists the species under the order Perciformes and holds 278 occurrence records as of 7 October 2026.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Brownburnie" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Brownburnie Chaetodon blackburnii", Two Oceans Aquarium> (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Brownburnie" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chaetodon blackburni", Saltcorner, 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Brownburnie" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Myers, R.F., "Chaetodon blackburnii", 2010; "Chaetodon blackburni", Saltcorner, 2012; Myers, R.F., "Chaetodon blackburnii", 2010; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Brownburnie" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Myers, R.F., "Chaetodon blackburnii", 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Brownburnie" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Blackburn's Butterfly (Chaetodon blackburnii)", Marine World Aquatics (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "Chaetodon blackburni", Saltcorner, 2012. facts only, no text reused. saltcorner.com
  7. World Register of Marine Species, Chaetodon blackburnii (AphiaID 218757). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  8. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Chaetodon blackburnii (taxon key 2385386). 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 Brownburnie (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 ayaChelmon marginalis Chelmon marginalisChelmon muelleri Chelmon muelleriCopperband butterflyfish Chelmon rostratusForcipiger longirostris Forcipiger longirostrisHemitaurichthys multispinosus Hemitaurichthys multispinosus

Named in this entry

Chaetodon

More in Butterflyfish

Burgess' butterflyfishChevron butterflyfishChaetodon daedalmaMarquesas butterflyfishIndian butterflyfishIndian vagabond butterflyfishChaetodon larvatusChaetodon leucopleuraLined butterflyfishMailed butterflyfishMelon butterflyfishChaetodon mertensii

Test yourself

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

1. What is the scientific name of the brownburnie?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Chaetodon blackburnii.

2. In what year was the brownburnie first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1836.

3. To which genus does the brownburnie belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Chaetodon.

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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