Eritrean butterflyfish

Open encyclopedia reference

The Eritrean butterflyfish or crown butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is essentially just known from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but has been reported from East Africa. It grows up to 14 cm (5.5 in) in length. It 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 fin. There are black eyestripes and a black "crown" with white border.

Eritrean butterflyfish are oviparous fish forming monogamous pairings during breeding. They are usually found in pairs or in small groups over coral and rubble areas from 1m to 30m depth. They feed on coral polyps, gorgonians, algae, polychaete worms and small crustaceans. This fish fares well in the aquarium and thus is sought after by hobbyists.

Wikipedia contributors, Eritrean butterflyfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:56:13.206713+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Chaetodon paucifasciatus Ahl, 1923

Name authority

Ahl, 1923

Common name

Eritrean butterflyfish

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderAcanthuriformes
11. familyChaetodontidae Rafinesque, 1815
12. genusChaetodon Linnaeus, 1758
13. speciesChaetodon paucifasciatus Ahl, 1923

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Chaetodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 78 records assigned to Chaetodontidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. Ahl, E. (1923). Zur Kenntnis der Knochenfischfamilie Chaetodontidae insbesondere der Unterfamilie Chaetodontinae. Archiv Für Naturgeschichte Berlin (N.F.), v. 89 Abt. A, Heft 5: 1–205, Pls. 1–2. 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:TC3F. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.