Philippine butterflyfish (Chaetodon adiergastos)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon adiergastos · Authority: Seale, 1910 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273322.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273322 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 20 cm · Depth range: 1–30 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Adults inhabit coral reefs and occur in pairs or groups, usually near soft coral (Ref. 9710). Juveniles solitary and found on shallow protected reefs or in estuaries (Ref. 48636). Home ranging, solitary or in pairs (Ref. 90102).

Feed on corals, crabs, worms, and other invertebrates (Ref. 48331). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Mature individuals form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205). Rarely exported through the aquarium trade (Ref. 48331).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 6515) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-adiergastos.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

719 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon adiergastos are published through GBIF from 14 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 122 distinct locations from a sample of 719 records, omitting 19 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: Indonesia (341); Philippines (164); Australia (148); Malaysia (42); Viet Nam (5); Hong Kong (4); Chinese Taipei (4); Timor-Leste (3); Japan (2); Singapore (2); Brunei Darussalam (1); China (1); Korea, Republic of (1); Palau (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385573) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385573&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273322 (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 adiergastos Seale, 1910 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 165711) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165711/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385573) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385573/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

It grows to a maximum length of 20 cm (nearly 8 in). The body is white with diagonal brown stripes on the sides. The dorsal, caudal, anal and pelvic fins are yellow. There are rounded broad black bands on the face, covering the eye, but not continuous from one side of the body to the other but with a separate black spot centered on the forehead.

The Philippine butterflyfish was first formally described in 1910 by the American ichthyologist Alvin Seale (1871-1958) with the type locality given as Bantayan Island in the Philippines. It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus.

In this group, it appears to belong to a loose group including such species as the black butterflyfish (C. flavirostris), diagonal butterflyfish (C. fasciatus), raccoon butterflyfish (C. lunula) and perhaps also the unusual red-tailed butterflyfish (C. collare). Although the coloration of this group varies quite a lot, they are all largish butterflyfishes with an oval outline, and most have a pattern of ascending oblique stripes on the flanks. Except in the red-tailed butterflyfish, there is at least a vestigial form of the "raccoon" mask, with a white space between the dark crown and eye areas.

The Philippine butterflyfish is found in coral reefs at depths of 1-30m and occurs in pairs or groups, usually near soft coral. Juveniles are solitary and found on shallow protected reefs or in estuaries.

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