Fishes of Hawai'i
Family Chaetodontidae - butterflyfishes
Chaetodon auriga - Threadfin butterflyfish -
Kïkäkapu  |
|
| Description: thread off soft dorsal fin, white anterior
and yellow posterior with right angle black body barring |
| Size: to about 20 cm |
| Habitat: usually found in pairs living in territories on
the reef |
| Diet: omnivorous, polychaetes worms, coral polyps and
algae |
| Chaetodon lunula - Racoon butterflyfish -
Kïkäkapu |
|
| Description: black eyeband followed by white (racoon
look); looks yellow during day and dull brown at night |
| Size: to 20 cm |
| Habitat: nocturnal on exposed reef, by day it may rest
mid-water sometimes in small schools, young found in tidepools |
| Diet: nocturnal feeders on tube worms, coral polyps and
other invertebrates as well as some algae |
| Chaetodon ornatissimus - Ornate butterflyfish -
Kïkäkapu |
|
| Description: oval body, diagonal orangish
stripes on
whitish body |
| Size: to 20 cm |
| Habitat: found on the reefs feeding on coral, often in
pairs |
| Diet: corallivore: exclusively live coral eaters |
| Chaetodon quadrimaculatus - Four spot
butterflyfish - Lau-hau |
|
| Description: two white spots below dorsal, blackish
dorsally, yellow ventrally |
| Size: to 15 cm |
| Habitat: found in pairs on the reef or resting on outer
reefs |
| Diet: corallivore: feeds primarily on coral polyps |
| Forcipiger flavissimus - Forcepsfish -
Lauwiliwili
Nukunuku-'oi'oi |
|
| Description: snout extremely slender and elongate, more
than half length of head; body, dorsal, anal and pelvic fins yellow in color; nape and
upper half of head black, lower half of head and thorax white; large black spot
posteriorly in anal fin |
| Size: 7.5 - 11.25 cm |
| Habitat: common on walls and ledges, often swims upside
down on the roofs of caves |
| Diet: feeds on polychaetes and other worms, mysid shrimp,
amphipods other small crustaceans and fish eggs |
|
