Yellow teardrop butterflyfish (Chaetodon interruptus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Chaetodon interruptus · Authority: Ahl, 1923 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273344.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Chaetodon unimaculatus interruptus Ahl, 1923.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273344 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 20 cm · Depth range: 10–40 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Habitat ranges from coral reef flats to deep slopes (Ref. 48636). Adults usually in pairs, sometimes forming small groups (Ref. 48636). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 61607) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-interruptus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

351 georeferenced occurrence records for Chaetodon interruptus are published through GBIF from 18 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 56 distinct locations from a sample of 351 records, omitting 3 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: Réunion (109); South Africa (67); Seychelles (54); Mauritius (39); Mozambique (25); Mayotte (14); Maldives (13); Kenya (6); French Southern Territories (6); Madagascar (4); British Indian Ocean Territory (3); United States of America (3); Thailand (2); Tanzania, United Republic of (2); Egypt (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385332) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385332&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273344 (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 interruptus Ahl, 1923 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 165684) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165684/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385332) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385332/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The yellow teardrop butterflyfish has a bright yellow body which is disc shaped and laterally compressed. There is a large black spot on the upper flank and a black vertical bar through the eye and another black vertical bar at the rear margin which runs from the posterior of the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin to the anal fin. The tail is white and the tail fin is transparent. It has paler chevron markings which run vertically down the flanks.

In the smaller juvenile fish there is a white ring around the blotch on the flanks, this is rounder and less teardrop shaped than in adults, the black also being tinted with blue. As they grow the white outer ring turns yellow and the mark develops a teardrop shape. This species has 12–13 spines in its dorsal fin and 21–23 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 18-20 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 20 cm.

Distribution

The yellow teardrop butterflyfish is found in the Indian Ocean where it occurs along the coast of East Africa from Somalia and Socotra south to South Africa east to the coast of Sumatra and western Thailand, including most of the Indian Ocean islands and southern India.

Habitat and biology

The yellow teardrop butterflyfish inhabits habitats varying from coral reef flats to deep slopes. The adults are normally encountered in pairs although they will occasionally forage in small schools. It is an oviparous species in which the males and females form pairs to breed. They are omnivores and have a varied diet which includes hard and soft coral fragments, sponges, polychaetes, and filamentous algae.

Taxonomy

The yellow teardrop butterflyfish was first formally described from Mauritius in 1923 by the German zoologist Ernst Ahl (1898–1945) as the subspecies interruptus of the Indo-Pacific teardrop butterflyfish (Chaetodon unimaculatus) and it is still considered to be so by some authorities.

Utilisation

The yellow teardrop butterflyfish is infrequently found in the aquarium trade. It is considered to be of medium difficulty for keeping within this hobby.

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