Chaetodon kleinii
Yellow-brown butterflyfish common on Maldives and Indonesian reefs, comfortable in 24.7-29C water year-round.
A small, deep-bodied butterflyfish about 10 cm long, coloured in muted yellow-brown fading to grey toward the tail, with a dark saddle-like patch near the base of the dorsal fin. Look for the fine dark vertical lines across the body and the black band running through the eye, which is the quickest way to pick it out from brighter reef butterflyfish. It lacks the bold white or black eye-spot markings many relatives carry, giving it a comparatively understated, almost dusty look on the reef.
Usually seen picking at coral polyps, algae, and small invertebrates along the reef face, moving slowly and independently rather than in tight groups, though loose pairs or small clusters are not unusual. It tends to stay close to structure, favouring reef slopes and drop-offs across a wide depth range, and shows only mild caution around divers, drifting off a short distance rather than bolting. Most sightings are logged as uncommon rather than rare, so it is a fish you can reasonably expect to spot on a typical Indo-Pacific reef dive without it being guaranteed.
Its depth tolerance is unusually wide for a butterflyfish, with records from the shallows down past 90 metres, which lets it turn up on both casual reef dives and much deeper drop-offs.
No strong seasonal pattern shows up in the data, and with a comfortable range of roughly 24.7 to 29C, it sits on tropical reefs year-round rather than appearing only in certain months.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most commonly logged in Indonesia and the Maldives, with the Central Atolls of the Maldives standing out as a particularly reliable spot, followed by strong numbers in the Visayas region of the Philippines, Bali, Sulawesi, and Nusa Tenggara. It also turns up consistently in the Inner Islands of Seychelles, Sabah in Malaysia, and around Hawaii in the United States, making it a fixture on Indo-Pacific reefs generally.
Mapping where Sunburst Butterflyfish is logged…
Indonesia and the Maldives account for the largest share of sightings, especially the Central Atolls of the Maldives, Bali, and Sulawesi. It is also regularly logged in the Visayas region of the Philippines, the Inner Islands of Seychelles, Sabah in Malaysia, and around Hawaii.
There is no clear seasonal pattern in the sighting data, and its comfortable temperature range of about 24.7 to 29C means it stays on tropical reefs throughout the year.
Look for a small, deep-bodied fish around 10 cm with a muted yellow-brown colour, fine dark vertical lines, a dark eye band, and a dark saddle patch near the rear dorsal fin. Its subdued tones set it apart from more boldly patterned butterflyfish on the same reef.
They reach around 10 cm in length, making them one of the smaller butterflyfish regularly seen on Indo-Pacific reefs.
They have an unusually broad depth range for a butterflyfish, with sightings from shallow reef flats down past 90 metres, letting them show up on both easy reef dives and deep walls.
No, they pose no danger to divers. They are small, carnivorous reef fish that feed on coral polyps and invertebrates and simply drift away from divers rather than showing any defensive behaviour.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Melon Butterflyfish
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