Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier, 1831
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Spot-tailed Butterflyfish, Chaetodon ocellicaudus, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the central Indo- west Pacific region from Malaysia to New Guinea, north to the Philippines and Palau in Micronesia. It grows to a maximum of 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Nearly identical to the Black-backed Butterflyfish (C. melannotus), it differs only in the shape of the black mark on the caudal peduncle, in lacking a black mark on the chest, a lighter back, and in having an average of 14 rather than 15 pectoral fin rays. C. ocellicaudus belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. In this group, it appears to be a close relative of the Black-backed Butterflyfish and somewhat less close to the Yellow-dotted Butterflyfish (C. selene). These are all of oval shape, silvery with yellow fins and snout, ascending diagonal stripes, and black markings around the eyes, on the caudal peduncle, and sometimes on the back. Next closest seem the Saddle Butterflyfish (C.
Wikipedia contributors, Spot-tail butterflyfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:16:29.274128+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier, 1831
- Name authority
- Cuvier, 1831
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Acanthuriformes
- Family
- Chaetodontidae
- Genus
- Chaetodon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAcanthuriformes
- familyChaetodontidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusChaetodon Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesChaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier, 1831
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chaetodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| bluelashed butterflyfishChaetodon bennetti Cuvier, 1831 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| threadfin butterflyfishChaetodon auriga Forsskål, 1775 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon miliaris Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pacific doublesaddle butterflyfishChaetodon ulietensis Cuvier, 1831 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon baronessa Cuvier, 1829 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon oxycephalus Bleeker, 1853 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| teardrop butterflyfishChaetodon unimaculatus Bloch, 1787 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon adiergastos Seale, 1910 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon argentatus Smith & Radcliffe, 1911 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon burgessi Allen & Starck, 1973 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon citrinellus Cuvier, 1831 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetodon daedalma Jordan & Fowler, 1902 | ChaetodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Cuvier, G., & Valenciennes, A. (1831). Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome septième. Livre septième. Des Squamipennes. Livre huitième. Des poissons à pharyngiens labyrinthiformes. F. G. Levrault, Paris, v. 7: i–xxix + 1–531, Pls. 170–208. [Cuvier authored pp. 1–440, Valenciennes 441–531. i–xxii + 1–399 in Strasbourg edition.]. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:TC2Y. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.