Spotfin butterflyfish
Chaetodon ocellatus
Bloch, 1787
Description:
Body thin and round in profile. Forehead slightly concave, the eye concealed by a dark bar on the head. Body silver-white. Fins, except for the pectoral ones, bright yellow. Rear dorsal fin with a black dot on the outer edge (C. ocellatus).
Size up to 20 cm.
Juveniles with a translucent tail and very young have a large black spot on the rear dorsal and anal fins and base tail, which form a rear body bar in older juveniles.
Habitat:
Inhabit shallow, coral reefs in clear water, down to 30 m. Develops dusky bands at night.
Distribution:
Common to occasional Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.
Remarks:
The Reef butterflyfish (Chaetodon sedentarius) is common on Aruba, but not on Bonaire and Curacao. The body has a yellowish back and dorsal fin and a silver-white lower body. The tail is yellow to reddish. A black bar runs over the eye, and there is a dark, bar-like, area on the rear body.