Reticulated butterfly fish

Scientific name : Chaetodon reticulatus

Medium size (16 cm) butterfly fish, reticulated dark grey colour pattern, with lighter area behind head and along back. Black eye band. Orange mark on back part of anal fin. Living usually on back reef and reef front, it is an obligate corallivorous species. From the strong, blunt snout one could think of it as feeding on many different coral species. Actually in our area it seems to prefer Acropora palifera (the hard coral photographed together). Living in monogamic territorial pairs. A similar species, Chaetodon collare, lives in the Indian Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean it is the only grey species, together with Chaetodon baronessa, but with a different colour pattern. As obligate corallivorous, can be used as reef's health indicator species.
It can probably hybridize with Chaetodon meyeri.

Associated organisms
With Acropora palifera corals, its favourite food (at least in North Sulawesi area).