Sunburst butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon kleinii · Authority: Bloch, 1790 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218738.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Anisochaetodon kleinii (Bloch, 1790); Chaetodon bellulus Thiollière, 1857; Chaetodon cingulatus Fowler, 1934; Chaetodon corallicola Snyder, 1904; Chaetodon flavescens Bennett, 1831; Chaetodon kleini Bloch, 1790; Chaetodon melammystax Bloch & Schneider, 1801; Chaetodon melastomus Bloch & Schneider, 1801; Chaetodon virescens Cuvier, 1831; Choetodon kleinii Bloch, 1790; Exornator exornator kleinii (Bloch, 1790); Tetragonoptrus kleini (Bloch, 1790).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218738 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 15 cm · Depth range: 0–90 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: subsistence fisheries · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Occur in deeper lagoons and channels, and seaward reefs (Ref. 1602). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Depth 2-61 m, usually below 10 m (Ref. 90102).

Occur singly or in pairs (Ref. 37816). Common, omnivorous individuals that feed mainly on soft coral polyps (mainly on Sarcophyton tracheliophorum and Litophyton viridis ), algae and zooplankton. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5446) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-kleinii.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

7,303 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon kleinii are published through GBIF from 53 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 346 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 48 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 (2,402); United States of America (1,180); Indonesia (832); Philippines (359); Seychelles (263).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385458) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385458&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218738 (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 kleinii Bloch, 1790 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 165628) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165628/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385458) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385458/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The body of this fish is yellowish brown with 1–2 broad lighter vertical bars, one running from near the origin of the dorsal spine to the belly, and sometimes another running from the middle of the back to the center of the body. A black bar runs vertically across the eye, and the part before this is whitish, with a black snout. The color varies somewhat across the range; western specimens usually have one beige bar, while eastern ones have two white bars. There may be numerous dotted horizontal stripes on the sides or another dark band between the two light ones in eastern specimens.

Distribution

It is a native of the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and Samoa, north to southern Japan, south to Australia and New Caledonia. It is also found in the Galapagos Islands in the Eastern Pacific.

Habitat and biology

The sunburst butterflyfish is found at depths of 4–61 meters, usually in deeper lagoons and channels and seaward reefs, swimming singly, or (particularly during breeding) in pairs. These fish are oviparous.

They are omnivores, feeding mainly on soft coral polyps (especially Litophyton viridis and Sarcophyton tracheliophorum), algae and zooplankton. In the aquarium, Chaetodon kleinii will eat meaty food such as mysis. Its coral-eating habits can become a nuisance, but on the other hand, they are fond of Aiptasia, small sea anemones that often become a pest in seawater aquaria.

Taxonomy and etymology

The sunburst butterflyfish was first formally described in 1790 by the German naturalist and physician Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) with the type locality given as the East Indies (Ostindien). The specific name honours the German jurist, historian, botanist, zoologist and mathematician Jacob Theodor Klein (1685–1759) who illustrated this species in volume 4 of his 5-volume history of fishes, which drew Bloch's attention.

Under its junior synonym, C. corallicola was placed in the monotypic subgenus Tifia, but this cannot be separated from the earlier-described Lepidochaetodon (sometimes considered a separate genus). It appears to be closer to the Tahiti butterflyfish (C. trichrous) than to the teardrop butterflyfish (C. unimaculatus).

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