am 01.06.05#1

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Red Sea; 12 cm; fairly common
Close to C.mertensii; a black spot on dorsal fin in juveniles, but in adults it would appear when frightened; fairly inexpensive; hardy and recommended for beginners

am 23.02.09#2

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Chaetodon paucifasciatus also commonly referred as the Eritrean butterflyfish, Redback butterflyfish or Red Sea Chevron Butterflyfish grows up to 14 cm in length; is white with black chevrons, except for a red zone stretching from the aft dorsal fin across the caudal peduncle to the end of the anal fin. A red bar runs vertically through the caudal.

The Red Sea Chevron Butterflyfish is essentially just known from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but has been reported from East Africa and are usually found in pairs or in small groups over coral and rubble areas from 1m to 30m depth.

Chaetodon paucifasciatus feed on coral polyps, algae, polychaete worms and small crustaceans; meaning this is where they get all of their nutrition. This specialized diet is difficult to reproduce in the aquarium and though some will accept substitute foods such as brine and mysid shrimps, they will subsist only for a short period of time without their necessary nutrients.

Remarks:

Butterflyfish are not recommended for reefs as they will pick at or eat a wide variety of corals, fan worms, and other invertebrates. Most Butterflyfish are known to pick at Aiptaisia, a parasitic anemone.


Classification

Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Chaetodon
Species: Chaetodon paucifasciatus