Mirror Butterflyfish

1 Mirror Butterflyfish Overview

The Mirror Butterflyfish is yellow, distinguished by a large round black spot below the soft dorsal fin and no other markings, earning it the names Yellow Spot and Tear-drop Butterflyfish.

Subclass: Actinopterygii

Binomial: Chaetodon speculum

Species: Mirror Butterflyfish

English name: Mirror butterflyfish

Suborder: Percoidei

Chinese name: Mirror Butterflyfish

Family: Chaetodontidae

Other names: Yellow Mirror Butterflyfish, Yellow Spot, Tear-drop Butterflyfish, Bean-curd Butterflyfish (Hong Kong)

Class: Osteichthyes

Genus: Chaetodon

Order: Perciformes

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Subphylum: Vertebrata

2 Appearance

The Mirror Butterflyfish has a distinctive shape, attracting many. Unlike the single-spot butterflyfish’s varied color, the Mirror Butterflyfish is all yellow. What are its features?

The body is yellow with a large round black spot below the soft dorsal fin. Except for an eye-band from the front dorsal to the belly, there are no other markings. In the wild it lives in clear coral-reef water. Shy by nature, it is usually solitary.

3 Habitat

The Mirror Butterflyfish is shy and in the wild usually solitary, so in the aquarium it is best kept alone. It likes clear coral-reef water, so mimic this.

Mainly in the western Pacific and near Australia; keep water and environment right. Adults reach 18 cm, so minimum tank 190 liters. Temperature 24–27°C, pH 8.1–8.4, specific gravity 1.020–1.025.

4 Feeding

The Mirror Butterflyfish is carnivorous. Its special look makes it popular. How to feed for beauty and health?

It is shy and usually solitary; feed animal food. In the aquarium, first use artemia to induce feeding, then switch to other foods to avoid refusal due to environment change.