Red-tailed butterflyfish

Chaetodon collare

The red-tailed butterflyfish or redtail butterflyfish , also known as the Pakistani butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish .

It can be found in reefs of the Indo-west Pacific region: from the Persian Gulf and Maldives to Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia. It usually swims at depths of between 3 and 15 m.

It can grow to 18 cm in length. The red-tailed butterflyfish is brown to black, with lighter scales giving it a spotted appearance. It has a prominent, vertical white streak behind the eyes, a dark stripe over the eyes, and another, smaller white stripe in front of the eyes. The base of the tail is bright red, followed by a black stripe. The tip of the tail is diffuse white.

In the wild, its diet consists of coral polyps. In captivity, it is a carnivore, taking fish meat and shrimp.
Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderAcanthuriformes
FamilyChaetodontidae
GenusChaetodon
SpeciesC. collare
Photographed in
Maldives
Thailand