Golden butterflyfish (Chaetodon aureofasciatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon aureofasciatus · Authority: MacLeay, 1878 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273326.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273326 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 16 cm · Depth range: 5–15 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Inhabit coastal and inner reefs; juveniles among branching corals. Solitary or paired (Ref. 9710). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). Hybridizes with Chaetodon rainfordi (Ref. 90102).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 6513) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-aureofasciatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

4,640 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon aureofasciatus are published through GBIF from 8 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 116 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 7 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: Australia (4,621); Palau (8); Indonesia (6); Cook Islands (1); Marshall Islands (1).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385421) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385421&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273326 (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 aureofasciatus Macleay, 1878 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 165703) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165703/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385421) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385421/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chaetodon aureofasciatus has a whitish body which is cross-hatched with darker lines, creating a purple hue. The caudal, anal, dorsal and pelvic fins are yellow.

There is an orange vertical band, edges with black, running through the eyeblack edged orange band through the eyes and just behind the head there is another, thin vertical orange band of the head. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 20–22 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17–18 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 12.5 cm.

Distribution

Chaetodon aureofasciatusis is found in the south western Pacific Ocean. Its range encompasses northern Australia where it is found from Coral Bay in Western Australia to Moreton Bay in Queensland. It is also found in southern Papua New Guinea.

Habitat and biology

Chaetodon aureofasciatus is found on coastal and offshore reefs, frequently on silty coastal reefs, even those near the mouths of rivers and this species is able to withstand high percentages of freshwater. It is found at depths of 1 to 20 m and they are encountered as pairs or in small groups. This species is an obligate corallivore, feeding on coral polyps, but can persist in areas of relatively sparse coral growth. It has been observed that this species has seemingly developed a wide diet than other corallivorous butterflyfishes, possibly in response to coral declines and that this may also account for their move into brackish water.

Systematics

Chaetodon aureofasciatus was first formally described in 1878 by the Scottish-Australian politician, naturalist, zoologist, and herpetologist William John Macleay (1820–1891) with the type locality given as Darwin, Northern Territory. This species is a close relative of the eightband butterflyfish (C. octofasciatus) and less close to Rainford's butterflyfish (C. rainfordi). It is probably also closely related to the three-striped butterflyfish (C. tricinctus) and these diverse but always high-bodied species make up the subgenus Discochaetodon, of which C. octofasciatus is the type species.

They appear to be close relatives of the subgenus Tetrachaetodon which includes for example the mirror butterflyfish (C. speculum) and together with these would probably go in the proposed genus Megaprotodon if Chaetodon is split up. The golden butterflyfish is known to hybridise with Rainford's butterflyfish.

Use

Chaetodon aureofasciatus is occasionally collected for the aquarium trade but it is regarded as difficult to maintain in captivity.

Source: Wikipedia: Chaetodon aureofasciatus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodon_aureofasciatus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.