Four-banded butterflyfish (Chaetodon hoefleri)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon hoefleri · Authority: Steindachner, 1881 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 126836.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=126836 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 27 cm · Common length: 17 cm · Depth range: 10–150 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 17 of 100 · Fishery importance: of no interest · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Coastal species (Ref. 27000). Prefer hard or rocky substrate, also trawled on sandy or muddy bottoms (Ref. 6943). Solitary or comes in pairs when adults, possibly gregarious when young. Feed on bottom invertebrates (Ref. 6759). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5046) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-hoefleri.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

721 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon hoefleri are published through GBIF from 24 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 57 distinct locations from a sample of 721 records, omitting 49 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: Nigeria (118); Gabon (86); Ghana (85); Côte d’Ivoire (73); Liberia (63); Cameroon (43); Sierra Leone (42); Senegal (35); Guinea (34); Angola (29); Guinea-Bissau (27); Equatorial Guinea (20); Congo (15); Togo (12); Benin (11).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: European waters (ERMS scope); South Africa (country).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385342) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385342&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=126836 (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 hoefleri Steindachner, 1881 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 165700) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165700/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385342) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385342/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chaetodon hoefleri was first formally described in 1881 by the Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1913) with its type locality given as Gorée in Senegal. The specific name honours the Steindachner's "dear friend" W. Höfler, who provided the type and who was supplied him with fish specimens from Africa.

Chaetodon hoefleri occurs in the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean from Cap Blanc and Levrier Bay in Mauritania) south as far as the mouth of the Congo. It is also occurs around the Canary Islands. There have been a number of records in the western Mediterranean Sea.

Chaetodon hoefleri has a rounded body shape with a short snout and rounded median fins. The head and body are largely yellowish in colour with copper tints. The body is marked with four vertical bars, the first bar is blackish and starts to the front of the first dorsal fin spine runs across the eye to the lower part of the back of the head. The second is dark brown in colour and starts between the third to fifth dorsal fin spines across the rear angle of the bill cover and base of the pectoral fins to the pelvic fins. The third bar is darker brown and runs from the last dorsal fin spines down towards the base of the anal fin at a slightly oblique angle, with an obvious black spot in its uppermost part. The fourth bar is darker than the others and could be described as blackish runs over the caudal peduncle. A black stripe runs between the eyes to the end of the short snout. The remainder of the upper part of head and the snout is orange. Every scale on the body has an orange horizontal stripe. The median fin spines and rays and the pelvic fin rays are yellowish to orange in colour. The soft rayed parts of the dorsal and anal fins usually have a white stripe on the inside of this. The pectoral fins are hyaline as is the caudal fin but this an orange crescent shaped crossbar in its centre. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 21-24 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 16-17 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 27 cm, although 17 cm is more common.

Chaetodon hoefleri is a coastal species which has a preference for hard or rocky substrates. However, it has also been caught by trawlers over sand or mud substrates. It is a solitary fish, although it is often encountered in pairs as adults, although juveniles may be more gregarious when. They feed on benthic invertebrates. This is an oviparous species which forms pairs when breeding. It is found at depths of 20 to 100 m.

Chaetodon hoefleri is rare in the aquarium trade.

Source: Wikipedia: Chaetodon hoefleri — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodon_hoefleri (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.