Chaetodon vagabundus
Vagabond butterflyfish | Criss-cross Butterflyfish
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Pearly white body with two sets of opposing diagonal dark lines; black band through eye yellow tail and rear of dorsal and anal fins. Black band on tail and dorsal fin down to anal fin distinguish it from C. auriga (Threadfin Butterflyfish), which also has trailing dorsal filament. C. decussatus, an Indian Ocean species not known from Australia, has solid black rear dorsal fin. Juveniles have black ocellus on dorsal fin.
Information
Max Size: 23 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 19.8-31.3°C
Depth: 1-30m
Habitat Generalization Index: 15.42
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Common (22.3% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland