Banded butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Acanthuriformes · Family: Chaetodontidae · Genus: Chaetodon.

Accepted name: Chaetodon striatus · Authority: Linnaeus, 1758 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 159663.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Anisochaetodon trivirgatus Weber & de Beaufort, 1936; Chaetodon consuelae Mowbray, 1928; Chaetodon striatus albipinnis Ahl, 1923; Chaetodon striatus dorsimacula Ahl, 1923.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159663 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Chaetodon striatus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 16 cm · Depth range: 3–70 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Maximum depth from Ref. 126840. Inhabit coral reefs. Occur singly or in pairs. Feed on polychaete worms, coral polyps, crustaceans and mollusk eggs. Oviparous (Ref. 205), monogamous (Ref. 52884).

Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). Adults may form plankton-feeding aggregations of up to 20 individuals, and occasionally clean other reef fishes which join the group, such as grunts, parrotfishes and surgeon fishes. (Ref: 40093). Generally common (Ref. 9710).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 3606) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-striatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

32,276 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon striatus are published through GBIF from 42 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 148 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 44 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: United States of America (20,759); Brazil (5,064); Puerto Rico (2,928); Virgin Islands (U.S.) (770); Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (386).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 7906686) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=7906686&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159663 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Chaetodon striatus Linnaeus, 1758 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 165637) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165637/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 7906686) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/7906686/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The name is derived from the dark vertical bands on the fish's body. This, combined with a vertical, black bar through the eye, is an antipredator adaptation, the bands disrupting the body's outlines.

Description

The banded butterflyfish grows to a maximum length of about 16 cm. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 19 to 21 soft rays.

The anal fin has 3 spines and 16 to 17 soft rays. The colour of this fish is silvery with a slender black bar passing through its eye, two wide black bars in mid-body and a third wide bar that starts on the rear of the dorsal fin and continues to the caudal peduncle. The pelvic fins and the caudal fin are black.

Distribution and habitat

This fish is native to the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic Ocean at depths down to about 55 m but mostly in less than 20 m. Its range extends from Massachusetts in the United States to Santa Catarina in Brazil, and includes the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. It is a benthic fish and is found on coral reefs.

Behaviour

The banded butterflyfish is usually seen singly or in pairs, but can occur in small shoals of about twenty individuals. The diet is mainly small invertebrates, crustaceans, coral polyps, polychaete worms, tube worms, sea anemones and various eggs. It also feeds on plankton in the water column, in schools of up to 20 individuals. Sometimes it will act as a cleaning fish and remove the external parasites from surgeon fishes, grunts and parrot fishes.

Status

C. striatus is a common species with a wide range. Although it is sometimes harvested for the reef aquarium trade, this is not thought to significantly impact the population which is believed to be stable. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the fish's conservation status as being of "least concern".

Source: Wikipedia: Banded butterflyfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banded_butterflyfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.