Crochet butterflyfish (Chaetodon guentheri)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon guentheri · Authority: Ahl, 1923 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273341.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Chaetodon guntheri Ahl, 1923; Chaetodon güntheri Ahl, 1923; Chaetodon punctulatus Ahl, 1923.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273341 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 18 cm · Depth range: 5–40 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 seaward reefs in areas with rich coral growth. Usually solitary, but also a schooling species that is often on the move, usually in areas prone to strong currents. Usually deep in Indonesia and adults are rarely found in less than 40 m depth.

Mainly found in sponge zones and deep water occurrence is habitat related, not cold water as sometimes suggested. This species will travel in open water and cleans large pelagic fishes (Ref. 48636). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 6528) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-guentheri.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

1,318 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon guentheri are published through GBIF from 11 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 61 distinct locations from a sample of 1,318 records, omitting 20 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 (1,239); Indonesia (40); Chinese Taipei (16); Japan (7); Philippines (6).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385510) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385510&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273341 (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 guentheri Ahl, 1923 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 165718) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165718/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385510) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385510/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chaetodon guentheri has a body which is mainly white to pale yellow in colour and marked with small dark spots which create a pattern of irregular lines. The posterior part of the body, the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin and the anal fin are yellow. A vertical black bar runs through the eye. The background colour to the body is whitest towards the head and becomes yellow towards the back and tail.

The dorsal and anal fins also have a white band on the margin with a thin black band to the inside of that. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 21-22 soft rays, while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 18 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 18 cm.

Distribution

Chaetodon guentheri is a species of the Western Pacific Ocean and it is found from southern Japan and Taiwan on the north south as far as New South Wales. It also occurs off Lord Howe Island, the Great Barrier Reef east to Tonga.

Habitat and biology

Chaetodon guentheri is found on seaward reefs where there is a dense coral growth, at water depths from 5 to 50 m. They are normally solitary but will form schools, especially when making longer movements typically where there are strong currents. They are mostly found in areas of sponge growth and they prefer deeper waters where sponges grow in the tropics and can be found at shallower depths in temperate areas.

Gunther's butterflyfish will move through open water and it is known to clean large pelagic fishes. It is an oviparous species in which the males and females form pairs to breed. They feed on plankton.

Taxonomy and etymology

Chaetodon guentheri was first formally described in 1923 by the German zoologist Christoph Gustav Ernst Ahl (1898-1945) with the type locality given as Manado on Sulawesi in Indonesia. The specific name honours the German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist Albert Günther (1830-1914) who first described this species as C. miliaris in 1871.

Utilisation

Chaetodon guentheri is rarely collected for the aquarium trade.

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