Fish of the Maldives

A Guide to Common Reef Fish

Head-band Butterflyfish
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Head-band Butterflyfish

Chaetodon collare


Very distinctive butterflyfish easily recognized from a distsance.

Head-band Butterflyfish

Citron Butterflyfish

Chaetodon citrinellus


Delicate-looking butterflyfish that can appear somewhat similar to the Spotted Butterflyfish.  However, the latter has a vertical black edge lining the end its tail fin, whereas the Citron Butterflyfish does not.  

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Citron Butterflyfish
Citron Butterflyfish
Scrawled Butterflyfish
Scrawled Butterflyfish

Meyer's, or Scrawled, Butterflyfish

Chaetodon meyeri


Also a very distinctive butterflyfish easily recognized from a distsance.  Also usually in pairs.

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Double-saddle Butterflyfish
Threadfin Butterflyfish
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Double-saddle Butterflyfish

Chaetodon falcula


Threadfin Butterflyfish

Chaetodon auriga


Thread-like fin extending from the end of its dorsal fin...hence the name.

Blackback Butterflyfish
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Black-back Butterflyfish

Chaetodon melannotus

Pinstriped Butterflyfish

Chaetodon trifasciatus


The Butterflyfish


While some butterflyfish are very distinct, and the name usually matches a description of the fish, it can be hard to recall exactly which one you saw after the fact.  Learning one or two unique markings for a particular species can help with this.

Most of the time butterflyfish swim in pairs.

Triangular Butterflyfish

Chaetodon triangulum

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Pinstriped Butterflyfish
Pinstriped Butterflyfish
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Triangular Butterflyfish
Yellow-head Butterflyfish

Yellow-head Butterflyfish

Chaetodon xanthocephalus

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Long-nose Butterflyfish

Very-long-nose Butterflyfish

Chaetodon longirostris


OK, joking aside, there is a Very-long-nose Butterflyfish and a Long-nose Butterflyfish (Chaetodon flavissimus.)  Very-long-nose has a longer nose proportional to its body than Long-nose.  Which one this is here, I'm not sure of ... but since they have very long noses either way you look at it, I'll call these guys Very-long-nose Butterflyfish just for the heck of it.

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Black Pyramid Butterflyfish

Hemitaurichthys zoster


I saw these mostly in very large schools at the reef edges; often along with Sergeant Majors, Red-toothed Triggerfish and a Unicornfish thrown in here and there.


Black Pyramid Butterflyfish
Black Pyramid Butterflyfish
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Spotted Butterflyfish

Chaetodon guttatissimus


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Brown Butterflyfish

Brown Butterflyfish

Chaetodon kleinii


The not-so-brown Brown Butterflyfish.

Raccoon Butterflyfish

Chaetodon lunula