Redtail butterflyfish
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- Name / Latin
- Redtail butterflyfish — Chaetodon collare
- Brief description
- The redtail butterflyfish (also known as the Pakistani butterflyfish or collare butterflyfish) is a reef fish of the family Chaetodontidae from the Indo-West Pacific. It has a deep body and short snout; coloration is brownish-olive with a "netted" pattern (pale scale centres and dark edges). The head is dark with white marks near the snout and a broad white vertical band behind the eye ("collar"); the tail fin is bright red or orange-red. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups on the reef edge and upper slope, and feeds on coral polyps and other invertebrates.
- Size:
- up to 18 cm
- Depth:
- down to 20 m
- Habitat:
- Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Andaman Sea
- Family:
- Chaetodontidae
- Type:
- Fish
- Activity:
- Diurnal
- Conservation status:
- Least Concern (LC) — not threatened with extinction according to IUCN assessment
The redtail butterflyfish, also known as the chocolate and yellow butterflyfish, is found in the Indo-Pacific from the Persian Gulf to Indonesia (east to Bali) and the Philippines. It is more common in the Indian Ocean. It lives on reef flats and outer slopes, favouring shallow areas from 3 to 15 metres, where it occurs in pairs or small groups.
This butterflyfish is fairly large, with a deep body and short snout and elegant coloration reminiscent of small angelfish. Its main feature is a net-like pattern on the body formed by dark scale edges. The front of the body is darker chocolate-brown, fading to lighter golden-brown towards the rear. The dorsal and anal fins have thin blue-black-red edges, and the tail is red with a black-blue margin. The head is black with a grey forehead and a vertical white band behind the eye. The snout is bordered by a crescent-shaped white band and the "eyebrows" above the eyes are black. Juveniles have a black band through the eye and a dark spot on the rear of the dorsal fin.
