Butterflyfishes

Atlantic (tropical to temperate), Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Highly compressed body. Larvae with the head region covered with bony plates. Spines in anal fin 3-5, usually 3, and 14-23 soft rays. Caudal fin rounded to emarginate. Scales extend onto anal and dorsal fins. Mouth small, terminal and protrusible with a band or rows of small brushlike teeth. Gut coiled several times. Two anteriorly directed processes in swim bladder. Vertebrae 24 (11+13). Most with bright coloration, a dark band across the eye and an 'eyespot' dorsally. Generally near coral reefs. Typically diurnal. Many feed on a combination of coelenterate polyps or tentacles, small invertebrates, fish eggs, and filamentous algae while others are specialists. Most species occur as heterosexual pairs. Chaet- (gr.) = bristle, odont- (gr.) = tooth