The butterfly fish is really strange in shape, it is a fish but it has the shape of a butterfly which gave it its name.
We will talk about it today on the teketrek website, as we will present the most important facts about it, its types, habitats, and how it reproduces and feeds.
Introduction to the butterfly fish
- The butterfly fish Freshwater butterflyfish or lizards are a group of colorful tropical fish.
- It is strange in shape and is characterized by the mutation of the two side fins in the shape of wings, which is why it is called butterfly fish.
- It is from the Chaetodontidae family, which is a Greek name consisting of two words: hair and teeth, as it is characterized by its strange teeth that resemble a brush, as it has a protruding mouth that helps it get its food through cracks.
- Its lifespan ranges from five to ten years.
- It has a strange means of defense against other fish, as when it is attacked, it makes strange sounds that keep enemies away from it.
Butterfly fish species
There are several types of butterflyfish, which differ from each other in terms of shape, food, or habitat, including:
Razorfish
Eats parasites of other fish such as sharks and mantas, which helps clean them of the remains stuck to them. They live in tropical areas in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean.
Basabe fish
Named after its discoverer Prognathodes basabei, it lives in the Hawaiian Islands in the northwest of the islands.
The number of its species exceeds 130 species distributed throughout the world’s oceans.
Longnise Yellow
Longnise Butterflyfish is called the Hawaiian fish, meaning the sharp-nosed leaf.
It was named after its color similar to the color of the leaves of the Willie tree in Hawaii.
It is found near the island of Hawaii and Maui, and is characterized by its attractive shape and color:
- Its nose is long and prominent and its mouth is small.
- Its body is like a compact disc.
- Its back and tail are connected by fins, with the tail fin being round.
- The color of its body and dorsal fins is yellow.
- The upper part of the eye extends to the end of the neck and is covered by a black line.
- The color of the edges of the fins is blue.
- There is a spot on the anal fin that has the shape of an eye.
- The color of the tail and chest fins is transparent.
Tweezer fish
Its nose is long and large and its mouth is large, similar to surgical forceps, which it uses to extract food from cracks in coral reefs.
Butterfly fish food
The favorite food of the butterfly fish is crunchy snacks, which are:
It eats algae and small animals from coral reefs.
Some of them also eat plankton from the reefs.
It is worth noting that most butterfly fish search for their food during the day and rest at night inside the coral reefs.
Where are Butterfly Fish found
The butterfly fish is found in the Atlantic Ocean extending from northern California to Brazil.
It likes to live near the surface of the water, where its original habitat is evident in the countries of West Africa, including: Cameroon, Nigeria, Zaire.
It needs a moderate temperature ranging from 26 to 27 degrees Celsius.
Butterfly fish reproduction
Butterfly fish reproduce during specific times of the year, depending on where they live as follows:
- The ideal time is early spring or winter in tropical areas.
- While the ideal time for mating in temperate areas is in the summer.
- The marriage period lasts about three years, and perhaps for life, and consists of the following stages:
- The female’s stomach is filled with eggs until they swell.
- Then the male gently presses on her abdomen to release them, and at the same time releases sperm, where a white cloud forms in the water.
- Sometimes, single males empty their sperm into the cloud quickly.
- Then, the eggs hatch after fertilization about 28 to 30 hours.
- In most cases, the parents do not contribute to the care and raising of the young at all.
- But in the larval stage, a plate made of bones forms above the head of the fish to protect it, and extends along its back to form the spine.
- When the fish reaches the size of a coin, a new stage begins called the juvenile stage where the color of the fish is formed.
- Then it lives in shallow places or small ponds after its growth is complete.
- After a year, the fish moves to live in coral reefs, and becomes ready to reproduce.
The importance of butterfly fish to humans
Butterfly fish is non-toxic because its meat is non-toxic, but humans catch it to use it as decoration, as it is placed in small fish tanks.
FAQs about butterfly fish
- What does butterfly fish look like?
It is characterized by the mutation of the two side fins in the shape of wings, which is why it is called butterfly.
The shape of butterfly fish resembles a butterfly wing, it has a flat body and beautiful colors.
- Is it permissible to eat butterfly fish?
It is not permissible to eat butterfly fish because it is considered an ornamental fish.
- Are butterfly fish aggressive?
Butterfly fish is not aggressive, but some of its species may be aggressive towards other fish.
In short, the butterfly fish is found in the Atlantic Ocean, characterized by its strange shape. It has several species that differ in habitat and food. Humans hunt it for decoration.
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