Redtail butterflyfish
Encyclopedia
The Red-tailed Butterflyfish or redtail butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare), also known as the Pakistani Butterflyfish, is a species
of butterflyfish
(family
Chaetodontidae).
It can be found in reef
s of the Indo-Pacific
oceans: from the Persian Gulf
and Maldives
to Japan
, the Philippines
and Indonesia
. It usually swims at depths of between 3 and 15 m.
It can grow to 18 cm (over 7 in) in length. The Red-tailed Butterflyfish is brown to black, with lighter scales giving it a spotted appearance. It has a prominent, vertical white streak behind the eyes, a dark stripe over the eyes, and another, smaller white stripe in front of the eyes. The base of the tail is bright red, followed by a black stripe. The tip of the tail is diffuse white.
In the wild, its diet consists of coral polyps. In captivity, it is a carnivore
, taking fish meat and shrimp.
It belongs to the large subgenus
Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus
. In this group, its relationships are doubtful; it seems related to the "raccoon
-masked" group including the Black Butterflyfish
(C. flavirostris), Diagonal Butterflyfish
(C. fasciatus), Philippine Butterflyfish
(C. adiergastos) and the Raccoon Butterflyfish
(C. lunula). Its color and pattern is entirely different from these, but it shares the robust habitus
and bold habits.
The Mailed Butterflyfish
(C. reticulatus) is a near-match of C. collare in appearance, save for a less brown hue and light blue instead of red in its black-based tail. These two are widely sympatric in the western Pacific. But DNA sequence
and osteology
data overwhelmingly agree that C. reticulatus belongs to the subgenus called "Citharoedus" (a name preoccupied by a mollusc genus). This contains fish like the Scrawled Butterflyfish
(C. meyeri), similar in shape and size but with a "finger-painted" pattern of a few prominent and uneven lines on light silvery background.
If Rabdophorus were to be considered a distinct genus, "Citharoedus" would not be included in it but placed with the subgenera Lepidochaetodon or Megaprotodon. Thus, the Red-tailed and Mailed butterflyfishes probably represent a case of convergent evolution
and perhaps mimicry. What selection
forces were responsible for the striking similarity between two rather unrelated Chaetodon is not known.
The highly anomalous 12S rRNA mtDNA sequence found in this species in one 2007 study seems to be due to a laboratory error; in another study a 12S rRNA sequence agreeing with the general pattern of mtDNA evolution in Rabdophorus was found.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of butterflyfish
Butterflyfish
The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. Found mostly on the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, there are approximately 120 species in 10 genera...
(family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Chaetodontidae).
It can be found in reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s of the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
oceans: from the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
and Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It usually swims at depths of between 3 and 15 m.
It can grow to 18 cm (over 7 in) in length. The Red-tailed Butterflyfish is brown to black, with lighter scales giving it a spotted appearance. It has a prominent, vertical white streak behind the eyes, a dark stripe over the eyes, and another, smaller white stripe in front of the eyes. The base of the tail is bright red, followed by a black stripe. The tip of the tail is diffuse white.
In the wild, its diet consists of coral polyps. In captivity, it is a carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
, taking fish meat and shrimp.
Systematics
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. In this group, its relationships are doubtful; it seems related to the "raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
-masked" group including the Black Butterflyfish
Black butterflyfish
The Black Butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish .-References:*...
(C. flavirostris), Diagonal Butterflyfish
Diagonal butterflyfish
The Diagonal Butterflyfish , also known as the Red Sea Raccoon Butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Red Sea only....
(C. fasciatus), Philippine Butterflyfish
Philippine butterflyfish
The Philippine Butterflyfish, Chaetodon adiergastos, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the western Pacific, from the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan to Java and northwestern Australia....
(C. adiergastos) and the Raccoon Butterflyfish
Raccoon butterflyfish
The raccoon butterflyfish, Chaetodon lunula, also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish or lunule butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Indo-Pacific region and in the southeast Atlantic...
(C. lunula). Its color and pattern is entirely different from these, but it shares the robust habitus
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
and bold habits.
The Mailed Butterflyfish
Mailed butterflyfish
The mailed butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish .-External links:*...
(C. reticulatus) is a near-match of C. collare in appearance, save for a less brown hue and light blue instead of red in its black-based tail. These two are widely sympatric in the western Pacific. But DNA sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
and osteology
Osteology
Osteology is the scientific study of bones. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and archeology, osteology is a detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification , the resistance and hardness of bones , etc...
data overwhelmingly agree that C. reticulatus belongs to the subgenus called "Citharoedus" (a name preoccupied by a mollusc genus). This contains fish like the Scrawled Butterflyfish
Scrawled butterflyfish
The Scrawled Butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean from East Africa to the Line Islands; north to the Ryukyu Islands; south to the Great Barrier Reef; including Micronesia and the Galapagos Islands.Growing to a maximum...
(C. meyeri), similar in shape and size but with a "finger-painted" pattern of a few prominent and uneven lines on light silvery background.
If Rabdophorus were to be considered a distinct genus, "Citharoedus" would not be included in it but placed with the subgenera Lepidochaetodon or Megaprotodon. Thus, the Red-tailed and Mailed butterflyfishes probably represent a case of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
and perhaps mimicry. What selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
forces were responsible for the striking similarity between two rather unrelated Chaetodon is not known.
The highly anomalous 12S rRNA mtDNA sequence found in this species in one 2007 study seems to be due to a laboratory error; in another study a 12S rRNA sequence agreeing with the general pattern of mtDNA evolution in Rabdophorus was found.