Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 5 - 20 m (Ref. 48636). Tropical; 36°N - 26°S, 96°E - 168°W
Western Pacific: Cocos-Keeling Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean and Indonesia to Fiji and Tonga (Ref. 53797), north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia and New South Wales, Australia. Replaced by Chaetodon triangulum in the Indian Ocean (Ref. 37816).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 16.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 48636)
Occurs in lagoon and seaward reefs. Feeds exclusively on the polyps of the tubular Acropora corals. Swims in pairs and are territorial. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Form pairs during breeding (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Distinct pairing (Ref. 205). Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and social (Ref. 52884).
Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p. (Ref. 2334)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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