Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus
Spot the white-bodied Red Sea Butterflyfish across the Coral Triangle. Most logged in Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia, here's when and where to find one.
A stark two-tone body makes this species stand out immediately: the front half is white and the rear half is deep black, with a vivid yellow tail and bright orange-yellow markings around the face and snout. The disc-shaped angelfish body is relatively small and compact. Juveniles share the same bold patterning as adults, making them easier to place than juveniles of many other angelfish. There are no obvious differences between males and females in the field.
You'll typically find this species picking its way slowly along reef walls and rubble-strewn slopes, probing hard corals and sponges with its pointed snout. It tends to be solitary or seen in pairs and is somewhat wary, often drifting just out of easy approach range when a diver draws close. Early morning dives on shallow reef structures give the best chance of catching one before it retreats to deeper cover.
Despite the common name "Red Sea Butterflyfish", this species has no connection to the Red Sea, it belongs to the angelfish family Pomacanthidae and is a resident of Southeast Asian reefs. The misleading name trips up many divers searching for it.
Observed water temperatures range from about 27 to 30 °C, consistent with warm tropical reefs, so sightings occur throughout the year across the Coral Triangle. For the small number of Southern Hemisphere sites in the data, sightings concentrate between September and March.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most sightings are logged in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, putting this squarely in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Within Malaysia, the Perhentian and Redang islands and Pulau Tioman are the standout areas, while in the Philippines the Visayas region leads the count. Indonesian sightings come mainly from Maluku and Papua, with additional records from Sulawesi and the Banda Sea.
Mapping where Red Sea Butterflyfish is logged…
The best places are the Perhentian and Redang islands and Pulau Tioman in Malaysia, the Visayas in the Philippines, and Maluku and Papua in Indonesia. It is logged across a wide spread of Coral Triangle sites, though sightings are usually uncommon rather than guaranteed.
Across its core range in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, warm water is present year-round, so there is no single best season. At Southern Hemisphere sites, sightings cluster between September and March.
Look for a sharp two-tone body: white at the front, black at the rear, with a yellow tail and bright orange-yellow around the face. No other common angelfish in the region shares this clean black-and-white split combined with the yellow tail.
No. Despite the common name, this species lives on reefs across Southeast Asia, particularly around Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. It belongs to the angelfish family and has no documented presence in the Red Sea.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
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