Teardrop butterfly fish

Scientific name : Chaetodon unimaculatus

Medium size butterfly fish (20 cm), white, back and fins yellow, eye black band, large tear-shaped black spot. Common in back reef, reef front, along the external reef. Feeding primarily on hard and soft corals, but also on other benthic invertebrates and algae. In pair or small shoals. Tear on side is a good diagnostic. Chaetodon speculum has a similar spot (more oval) but on a yellow background. Primarily corallivorous, it can shift to a diet including other invertebrates. Therefore cannot be used as indicator species.

Associated organisms
More common in areas with a dense cover of leather corals (Sarcophyton and Sinularia).