CHAETODONTIDAE


Chaetodon decussatus
(photo by Ukkrit Satapoomin)


Chaetodon decussatus
Cuvier, 1829
Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish

D XIII, 24-25; A III, 20-21; P1 14-15; LLp 33-40; LR 36-41.

Snout moderate to short; predorsal contour nearly straight. Lateral line incomplete. Caudal fin truncate to slightly rounded. Color: body ground color mostly white, with 2 sets of diagonal blackish lines perpendicular to each other; entire posterior part of body, encompassing soft portions of dorsal and anal fin, blackish; head with a black bar from high on nape through eye; caudal fin yellow with a black bar in the middle, a clear posterior border, and a blackish submarginal band. Size: maximum length about 20 cm. Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean, from Sri Lanka and Maldives eastward to Flores, Indonesia. Remarks: inhabits coral reefs to rubble and rocky reefs at depths of 2-20 m. Found singly or in pairs. Omnivorous.