Horseshoe butterflyfish (Chaetodon pictus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon pictus · Authority: Forsskål, 1775 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 302747.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Chaetodon vagabundus pictus Forsskål, 1775.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=302747 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 15.399999618530273 cm · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 66029) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-pictus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

32 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon pictus are published through GBIF from 7 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 9 distinct locations from a sample of 32 records, omitting 4 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 (13); Yemen (7); Djibouti (4); United Arab Emirates (3); Sri Lanka (3); India (1); Thailand (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385569) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385569&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=302747 (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 pictus Forsskål, 1775 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 165647) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165647/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385569) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385569/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chaetodon pictus has a white marked with oblique black lines which go from the eye to the dorsal fin base on the upper anterior part of the body and in the opposite direction elsewhere. The rear of the dorsal and anal fins is yellow. There is a black vertical band running through the eye from the front of the dorsal fin, which joins onto the black dorsal fin margin and this in turn joins the rear vertical black band, forming the horseshoe that gives this species its common name. The caudal fin is yellow with a vertical black band.

The juveniles have a black spot on the posterior part of the dorsal fin. This species attains a maximum length of 18 cm. This species is similar to the vagabond butterflyfish (C. vagabundus) but has the black caudal fin bands coloured reddish brown instead and the soft parts of the dorsal and anal fins of adults have more obvious points.

Distribution

Chaetodon pictus occurs in the northwestern Indian Ocean where it is found southern Red Sea, northern Gulf of Aden east to Oman and possibly as far east as Pakistan.

Habitat and biology

Chaetodon pictus is found at depths of 1 to 30 m. It is encountered over most coral reef habitats, from inner coastal reefs to outward slopes.

It can also occur on rocky reefs where there is dead coral. It is an oviparous species which breeds as pairs. This species feeds mainly on coral polyps and on algae.

Systematics

Chaetodon pictus was first formally described in 1775 by the Swedish-speaking Finnish explorer, orientalist, naturalist Peter Forsskål (1732-1763), his description was published in 1775 by his companion on his expedition to Yemen, the orientalist and mathematician Carsten Niebuhr. The type locality was given as Al-Mukhā in Yemen. It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. It is closely related to the vagabond butterflyfish and is treated as the same species by the aquarium trade.

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