Common Name: Chevron Butterflyfish

Distribution: Common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Wide ranging species from East Africa to the Red Sea eastwards to the Hawaiian Islands. In Australia from Western Australia around the northern coast to northern New South Wales, and including Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.

Ecological Notes: Territorial species occuring in shallow lagoon and protected seaward reefs. Feeds on mucus and polyps of Acropora sp. corals. Depth to 30 m but usually shallow to 10 m.

Additional Notes: Body white with narrow chevron markings on the sides and black bar through the eye. Small juvenile approximately 15 mm long in top photograph, larger juvenile in centre. Adults elongate pale body with dark chevron markings, black tail with yellow rear margin. Grows to 18 cm. 

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p. 211.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodon-trifascialis.html. Accessed 11/04/18