Melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from FishBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
The melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus) or the Indian redfin butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Western Java. This is one species of a closely related group which includes the blacktail butterflyfish (C. austriacus) of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the oval butterflyfish (C. lunulatus) which is found in the western Pacific, from eastern coasts of the Indonesian islands to Australia.
- Scientific name
- Chaetodon trifasciatus
- Authority
- Park, 1797
- Family
- Chaetodontidae
- Order
- Acanthuriformes
- Maximum length
- 15 cm
- Habitat zone
- reef-associated
- Iucn red list
- Least Concern
- Gbif occurrence records
- 4,876
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Acanthuriformes · Family: Chaetodontidae · Genus: Chaetodon.
Accepted name: Chaetodon trifasciatus · Authority: Park, 1797 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218741.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Chaetodon bellus Solander, 1839; Chaetodon layardi Blyth, 1852; Chaetodon ovalis Thiollière, 1857; Chaetodon pepek Montrouzier, 1857; Chaetodon taunigrum Cuvier, 1831; Chaetodon trifasciatus caudifasciatus Ahl, 1923; Chaetodon trifasciatus trifasciatus Park, 1797; Chaetodon vittatus Bloch & Schneider, 1801; Choetodon trifasciatus (Park, 1797); Mesochaetodon trifasciatus (Park, 1797); Tetragonoptrus trifasciatus (Park, 1797); Tetragonoptrus vittatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218741 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (FishBase)
Measured values published by FishBase for Chaetodon trifasciatus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 15 cm · Common length: 12 cm · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.
FishBase notes: Occur in coral-rich lagoons and semi-protected seaward reefs. Territorial and aggressive to other Chaetodon . Small juveniles secretive in corals (Ref. 48636). Swim in pairs. Feed exclusively on coral polyps, particularly of the Pocillopora type (Ref. 5503, 48636). Oviparous (Ref. 205), monogamous (Ref. 52884). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).
Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5579) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-trifasciatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
4,876 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon trifasciatus are published through GBIF from 46 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 167 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 7 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 (2,782); Seychelles (307); Maldives (295); Réunion (121); Thailand (119).
The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 8333642) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=8333642&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218741 (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 trifasciatus Park, 1797 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 165673) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165673/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 8333642) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/8333642/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
Melon butterflyfish should not be confused with chevron butterflyfish (C. trifascialis), three-striped butterflyfish (C. tricinctus), or three-banded butterflyfish (C. robustus).
The oval butterflyfish and the blacktail butterflyfish resemble C. trifasciatus in coloration. The former has a less conspicuous back patch below the dorsal fin and a mainly dark anal fin, while the latter has black caudal and anal fins.
Melon, black-tailed, oval butterflyfishes, and probably also the somewhat aberrant Arabian butterflyfish (C. melapterus) make up the subgenus Corallochaetodon, of which C. trifasciatus is the type species. They are probably quite close to the subgenus called "Citharoedus" (that name is a junior homonym of a mollusc genus), which contains for example the scrawled butterflyfish (C. meyeri). Like that group, they might be separated in Megaprotodon if the genus Chaetodon is split up.
Growing to a maximum of 15 cm long, the monogamous adults swim in pairs and may be territorial and aggressive to other Chaetodon. Melon butterflyfish feed exclusively on coral polyps, particularly of Pocillopora. They are oviparous.
Source: Wikipedia: Melon butterflyfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melon_butterflyfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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