Paleface Butterflyfish

Chaetodon mesoleucos, commonly known as the white-faced butterflyfish, is a marine ray-finned fish species within the family Chaetodontidae, native to the northwestern 🌊 Indian Ocean.

This species showcases a distinctive coloration, with a bluish-white anterior body section accentuated by a vertical black band crossing the eye. The remainder of the body is a pale grey that is interspersed with numerous vertical black lines. The caudal fin is notably black, featuring a white inner margin near the caudal peduncle. The species typically achieves a maximum total length of 13 centimeters (5.1 inches), though it is more frequently found at lengths around 12 centimeters (4.7 inches).

Chaetodon mesoleucos is distributed throughout the northwestern 🌊 Indian Ocean, ranging from the central 🌊 Red Sea to the 🌊 Gulf of Aden, including the waters around Socotra (🇾🇪 Yemen). It predominantly inhabits coral reefs at depths of 1 to 25 meters (3.3 to 82.0 feet), where it is usually observed in pairs. The species' diet is believed to primarily consist of coral polyps, although it also consumes various benthic invertebrates. Currently, comprehensive biological data regarding this species remain limited.

The species was initially described in 1775 by Peter Forsskål, a Finnish-Swedish explorer, orientalist, and naturalist. His description was published posthumously by Carsten Niebuhr, a fellow orientalist and mathematician, following their expedition to 🇾🇪 Yemen. The type locality for this species is recorded as Al-Mukhā in 🇾🇪 Yemen. Chaetodon mesoleucos is classified within the extensive subgenus Rabdophorus, which is potentially a candidate for recognition as a distinct genus.

While Chaetodon mesoleucos is infrequently found in the aquarium trade, it is considered manageable in captivity, given proper conditions.