Black-spotted butterflyfish (Chaetodon nigropunctatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon nigropunctatus · Authority: Sauvage, 1880 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273350.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Chaetodon obscurus Boulenger, 1888.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273350 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 14 cm · Depth range: 3–15 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Found in coral reefs, solitary or paired. Home-ranging. Feed at least partially on coral polyps (Ref. 9710). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 12535) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-nigropunctatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

76 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon nigropunctatus are published through GBIF from 6 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 13 distinct locations from a sample of 76 records, omitting 12 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: Oman (53); United Arab Emirates (17); Saudi Arabia (3); Eritrea (1); Iran (Islamic Republic of) (1); Kuwait (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385372) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385372&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273350 (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 nigropunctatus Sauvage, 1880 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 165696) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165696/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385372) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385372/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chaetodon nigropunctatus has a whitish mouth set in a grey face, the colour of the body is greyish white and it is marked with many longitudinal rows of dark grey spots. The tail is black with a white margin. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 21-23 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 18-20 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 14 cm.

Chaetodon nigropunctatus is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean. It occurs in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

Chaetodon nigropunctatus occurs at depths between 1 and 40 m, inhabiting coral reefs where they occur in pairs. They are thought to feed mainly on coral polyps. it occurs over reefs, either of coral or rock, and sometime in Sandy lagoon areas.

Chaetodon nigropunctatus was first formally described in 1880 by the French paleontologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist Henri Émile Sauvage (1842-1917) with the type locality was given as Oman. It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus.

Chaetodon nigropunctatus is rare in the aquarium trade. However, it is a difficult species to keep in captivity due to its specialised diet of live coral polyps.

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