Chevron butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifascialis)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon trifascialis · Authority: Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218719.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Chaetodon bifascialis Cuvier, 1829; Chaetodon leachii Cuvier, 1831; Chaetodon striangulus Cuvier, 1831; Chaetodon strigangulus Lay & Bennett, 1839; Chaetodon strigangulus Cuvier, 1831; Chaetodon tearlachi Curtiss, 1938; Chaetodon triangularis Rüppell, 1829; Eteira taunayi Kaup, 1860; Megapotodon trifascialis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825); Megaprotodon strigangulus (Cuvier, 1831); Megaprotodon trifascialis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218719 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 18 cm · Depth range: 0–30 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10.9 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Territorial species which occur in shallow lagoon and semi-protected seaward reefs (Ref. 48636). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Closely associated with tabular and staghorn Acropora corals upon which they feed on their polyps and mucus.

Solitary or in pairs. Juveniles secretive among coral branches (Ref. 48636). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5578) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-trifascialis.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

9,127 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon trifascialis are published through GBIF from 59 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 423 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 34 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 (3,459); United States Minor Outlying Islands (789); United States of America (563); New Caledonia (479); American Samoa (466).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385428) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385428&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218719 (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 trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 as Near Threatened (code NT). 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 165712) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165712/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385428) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385428/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chevron butterflyfish should not be confused with melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus), three-striped butterflyfish (Chaetodon tricinctus), or three-banded butterflyfish (Chaetodon robustus).

Description

The chevron butterflyfish has a relatively elongate pale body marked with dark vertical chevron markings. It has a black tail with yellow posterior margin. There is a black band with pale edges which runs through the eye.

The juveniles have a black vertical band which runs from the rear of the dorsal fin, over the rear of the body to the rear of the anal fins and they have a yellow tail base and pectoral fins. The dorsal fin contains 13-15 spines and 14-16 soft rays while the anal fin has 3-5 spines an 13-15 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 18 cm.

Distribution

The Chevron butterflyfish has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution. It is found in the western Indian Ocean along the coast of East Africa from the Egypt south to South Africa and across the Indian Ocean including the Indian Ocean islands and into the Pacific Ocean to the Line Islands, Johnston Atoll and the Howland and Baker Islands in the central-west Pacific.

It extends north to southern Japan and south to Lord Howe Island and Rapa Iti. In Australia this species can be found from the Houtman Abrolhos to Beagle Reef, as well as the Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef in Western Australia, it is then found in the northern Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, on some reefs in the Coral Sea, as far south as Arrawarra Headland near Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. It can also be found around the Australian Indian Ocean territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island.

Habitat and biology

The chevron butterflyfish is a territorial species which occurs in semi-protected seaward and shallow lagoon reefs, closely associated with tabular and staghorn (Acropora) corals, the polyps and mucus of which they eat. They occur at depths ranging from 2–30 m. Adults are either seen to swim alone or (particularly in the breeding season) in pairs, while juveniles are secretive among coral branches. They are oviparous.

Systematics

The chevron butterflyfish was first formally described in 1825 by the French naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard with the type locality given as Guam. This species has the unusual features of age-dependent colour and an elongated outline, and this has led to this species being placed in a monotypic subgenus Megaprotodon. Its closest living relatives seem to be the species of the subgenera Discochaetodon (e.g. eightband butterflyfish, C. octofasciatus) and Tetrachaetodon (e.g. mirror butterflyfish, C. speculum). These, and perhaps other subgenera, would use Megaprotodon as genus name if Chaetodon is split up.

Source: Wikipedia: Chevron butterflyfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevron_butterflyfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.