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Chaetodon auriga , Threadfin butterflyfish. Underwater photograph, Pemba island, Tanzania, Africa.

Threadfin butterflyfish

A tropical marine fish with a trailing dorsal filament.

Photo: Bernard E. Picton BernardP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The threadfin butterflyfish is a tropical marine species found across the Indo-Pacific. It features white bodies with chevron markings and bright yellow fins. This ray-finned fish lives in shallow coastal waters and coral reefs.

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  • Grows up to 23 centimetres in length
  • Features a trailing filament on the dorsal fin
  • Found in the Indo-Pacific at depths up to 35 metres
  • Has bright yellow fins and chevron body markings

What it is

This species is a tropical marine ray-finned fish. It belongs to the butterflyfish family. Adults grow up to 23 centimetres long. The body is white with chevron patterns on the sides. A black vertical band covers the eye. The dorsal fin has a black spot and a long trailing filament. Bright yellow fins contrast with the pale body. Dark oblique lines mark the belly area.

Where it lives

It inhabits the Indo-Pacific region. The range extends from the Red Sea and eastern Africa to the Hawaiian Islands. Southern limits include Mossel Bay in South Africa and Lord Howe Island. Northern boundaries reach southern Japan. It also lives near the Marquesas and Ducie islands. These fish dwell at depths between one and thirty-five metres. A single specimen appeared in the western Mediterranean off Italy in 2015. This occurrence was likely due to an aquarium release.

How it lives

It notes that the species is a close relative of the vagabond butterflyfish. They share similar patterns of oblique lines. The hindpart coloration differs among related species. The fish lives in tropical marine environments. It is part of the large subgenus Rabdophorus.

Breeding and life cycle

The provided material does not contain information regarding spawning habits, egg development, or juvenile growth stages for this species.

Threadfin butterflyfish
A drawing made by EveryFish from what this page says. It is a diagram, not a picture of the real fish.

Fish and people

This fish appears in the aquarium trade. A specimen reported in the Mediterranean suggests it is kept in captivity.

Status and threats

It mentions a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific.

Threadfin butterflyfish ( Chaetodon auriga ), Ras Muhammad National Park, Egypt
Threadfin butterflyfish ( Chaetodon auriga ), Ras Muhammad National Park, Egypt. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions people ask about Threadfin butterflyfish

How big does the threadfin butterflyfish get?

This species grows up to 23 centimetres in length. It is a medium-sized reef fish with a distinctive shape and colouring.

Where can you find this fish in the wild?

It lives in the Indo-Pacific region. Its range spans from the Red Sea and Africa to Hawaii and Japan. It inhabits depths of one to thirty-five metres.

What does the threadfin butterflyfish look like?

It has a white body with chevron markings. The fins are bright yellow. A black band runs through the eye, and the dorsal fin has a trailing filament.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Threadfin butterflyfish", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryFish rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and figures change over time. Nothing here is investment or buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-11-15.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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