Common Name: Reticulated Butterflyfish

Distribution: Rare in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Pacific region, Ryuku Islands to the Great Barrier Reef, east to the Hawaiian Islands. In Australia recorded from the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to northern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents exposed seaward coral reef and lagoons with rich coral growth and clear water. Juveniles in protected coral areas. Depth to at least 40 m.

Additional Notes: Adults have slightly elongated dark body with numerous closely spaced white spots, pale band behind eye that continues along dorsal surface towards tail. Juveniles paler and more rounded, as pictured. Usually found in pairs, feeds mainly on corals. Grows to 18 cms, specimens in photographs about 10 cms long.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.210.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Chaetodon+reticulatus. Accessed 11/05/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Chaetodon-reticulatus.html. Accessed 11/05/18.