Common Name: Dusky Butterflyfish

Distribution: Common throughout the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Wide-spread tropical south-west Pacific from eastern Australia to Pitcairn Island. In Australia recorded from north Queensland south to southern New South Wales and including Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.

Ecological Notes: Frequents a variety of habitats, from coral rich to algae covered rocky areas of lagoon and seaward reefs. Also found in estuarine areas, depth to at least 30 m.

Additional Notes: The dark body with rounded yellow/orange dorsal and anal fins makes this species easily recognisable. Often in pairs, omnivorous, feeding on algae, coral and small invertebrates. Grows to about 20 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.203.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Chaetodon-flavirostris.html. Accessed 02/05/18.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Chaetodon+flavirostris. Accessed 02/05/18.