Foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus)

General data

Main name: Foureye butterflyfish
Climates: Tropical, Subtropical
Habitat: Saltwater
Native: North America, South America
Distribution: Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea

Classification

Genus: Chaetodon - Chaetodon
Family: Chaetodontidae - Butterflyfishes
Order: Acanthuriformes - Surgeonfishes
Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes

Description

The foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) is a butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is alternatively called the four-eyed butterflyfish. This species is found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts, USA and Bermuda to the West Indies and northern South America. Foureye butterflyfish are deep-bodied and laterally compressed, with a single dorsal fin and a small mouth with tiny, bristle like teeth. The body is light grey, sometimes with a yellowish hue, and dark forward-pointing chevrons. The ventral fins are yellow. The species gets its common name from a large dark spot on the rear portion of each side of the body. This spot is surrounded by a brilliant white ring, resembling an eye. A black vertical bar on the head runs through the true eye, making it hard to see.