butterfly fish

Any of several fishes, not all related. They include the freshwater butterfly fish Pantodon buchholzi of western Africa and the tropical marine butterfly fishes in family Chaetodontidae.

P. buchholzi can leap from the water and glide for a short distance on its large winglike pectoral fins. Up to 10 cm/4 in long, it lives in stagnant water, at the water surface during the day, lying beneath floating leaves. At night it hunts for insects, jumping out of the water to catch them.

The members of Chaetodontidae are brightly coloured with laterally flattened bodies, often with long snouts which they poke into crevices in rocks and coral when feeding. They have a flattened narrow body with one dorsal fin and a fairly long snout. Their bristlelike teeth are closely set in rows for feeding on small animals and green algae. The commonest colours are black, yellow, and brilliant metallic blues and greens.

Classification