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Chaetodon leucopleura

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Chaetodontiformes

Familia: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Chaetodon
Species : C. leucopleura

Chaetodon leucopleura, the Somali butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
Description

Chaetodon leucopleura has a laterally compressed and oval shaped body with a pointed snout as is typical for butterflyfish. The lower part of the body is white while the upper part being dark greyish black. They have a yellow curved line along the margin of the operculum and a black bar running through the eye. There are 5–6 thin, horizontal lines between the eyes and the upper lips are black. The fins are yellow.[3] The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 21–23 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 18–19 soft rays. This species attains a maximum standard length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in).[2]
Distribution

Chaetodon leucopleura is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean, it occurs in the along the East African coast from Sudan south to Zanzibar, the island of Socotra, the Seychelles south to Aldabra. In the southern Red Sea it is found around the Farasan Islands of Saudi Arabia and off Yemen.[1]
Habitat and biology

Chaetodon leucopleura appears to have a preference for deeper water and is found at depths of 7 to 80 metres (23 to 262 ft).[1] They occur on deep coral rich reefs, frequently close to the base of slopes over coral scree. They are typically encountered either solitarily or as pairs over open bottoms. It is an uncommon species. They form pairs for breeding and are oviparous.[2] Their diet consists of coral polyps and benthic invertebrates. [4]
Systematics

Chaetodon leucopleura was first formally described in 1867 by the Scots naturalist Lambert Playfair (1828–1899) with the type locality given as Zanzibar.[5] This species is tentatively placed in the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus.[6]
References

Myers, R.F.; Pratchett, M. (2010). "Chaetodon leucopleura". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T165610A6067508. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165610A6067508.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Chaetodon leucopleura" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
"Somali Butterflyfish – Facts and Photographs". seaunseen.com. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
"Chaetodon leucopleura". Saltcorner. Bob Goemans. 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Chaetodon". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
Fessler, Jennifer L.; Westneat, Mark W (2007). "Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (1): 50–68. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.018.

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