Mertens' butterfly fish

Scientific name : Chaetodon mertensii

Small butterfly fish (12 cm), with broken lines on sides, vertical eye band, orange back part, fins and tail. A fading black spot on the nape. Living in back reef, reef front, external reef and deep reef to 120 m depth. Usually in pairs, feeds on small benthic invertebrates and algae. Uncommon in our area. Can be confused with Chaetodon xanthurus, that has sides reticulated and a black spot with white edge on the nape. Much more similar the Indian Ocean species Chaetodon madagascariensis, and the Red Sea species Chaetodon paucifasciatus.