Burgess' butterflyfish (Chaetodon burgessi)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon burgessi · Authority: Allen & Starck, 1973 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273329.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273329 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 14 cm · Depth range: 20–130 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Occur in drop-offs where gorgonians and black corals are abundant. Usually in depths over 40 m, but in some localities much shallower (Ref. 48636); usually in depths less than 40 m in East Indian region, solitarily or in pairs (Ref 90102). Reported to have been collected from a depth of 380 feet (= 115.8 m) in Palau (J.C. Delbeek, CAS, pers.comm. 10/2017) . Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). They do well in the aquarium and are exported from the Philippines (Ref. 37816). Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5560) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-burgessi.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

25 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon burgessi are published through GBIF from 8 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 14 distinct locations from a sample of 25 records, omitting 2 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: Palau (8); Philippines (4); Micronesia (Federated States of) (3); Indonesia (3); Chinese Taipei (3); Solomon Islands (2); Papua New Guinea (1); Vanuatu (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385553) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385553&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273329 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Chaetodon burgessi Allen & Starck, 1973 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 165620) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165620/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385553) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385553/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Burgess' butterflyfish is whitish to pale yellowish and is marked by three areas of contrasting black. The first is a black bar which runs through the eye, the second is a diagonal bar which starts at the top of the head and runs to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin while the third is a wide black wedge covering the posterior of the body. The dorsal fin contains 13 spines and 18-19 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 15-16 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 14 cm.

Burgess' butterflyfish is found in the western Pacific Ocean where it has been recorded from Green Island off southern Taiwan, the Indonesian islands of Flores, Sulawesi and Raja Ampat, Sabah in Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia and Tonga. It has also been recorded in Australia at Rowley Shoals in Western Australia and Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea, Queensland.

Burgess' butterflyfish are found along drop-offs where there is an abundance of gorgonians and black corals, typically at depths greater than 40 m, although in places they will occur in shallower water. They are encountered as either solitary fish or in pairs. This is an oviparous species and they form pairs for breeding. They feed on gorgonians, black corals, worms, crustaceans, sponges and other invertebrates.

Burgess' butterflyfish was first formally described in 1973 by the American ichthyologists Gerald R. Allen and Walter A. Starck II with the type locality given as off Bairakaseru Island in the Ngemelis Islands part of the Palau Islands in the Philippine Sea. The specific name honours the American ichthyologist Warren E. Burgess who wrote a 1978 revision of the Chaetodontidae during which he brought Allen and Starck's attention to this species and its affinity with the Indian butterflyfish (C. mitratus). Populations of similar fishes to C. burgessi in the Marshall Islands are thought to be hybrids between this species and the Marquesas butterflyfish (C. declivis).

Burgess' butterflyfish is collected for the aquarium trade with most fish in that trade being exported from the Philippines. Although it can be a demanding species to maintain they can be useful in controlling Aiptasia sea anemones which can be a problem in aquariums.

Source: Wikipedia: Burgess' butterflyfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgess%27_butterflyfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.