Of the over 116 species of Butterflyfish worldwide, Hawai'i has 22 of the species, the Raccoon being one of the more recognizable and popular varieties. The Europeans got the name mixed up and used butterfly ever since then. If the butterflyfish disappear from the reef then we are immediately alarmed that the corals are in trouble.Hundreds of years ago no one in Hawaii called this fish a butterflyfish! - If you like this I have plenty more on my Instagram: GavinKrohm. The coral polys are the building block of the entire coral reefs and form homes for the other reef fish to hide in and grow to keep the fish populations healthy.The butterflyfish eat the old coral polyps making room for new polyps that produce more calcium carbonate structure to make the coral reef grow.
The common name, Raccoon Butterflyfish, obviously comes from face of the fish, which resembles the masked face of a Raccoon.
Raccoon Butterfly Fish. SADDLEBACK BUTTERFLYFISH: Chaetodon reticulatus. This fish’s Latin name means “crescent”, referring to the bold markings at head and tail. This butterflyfish is quick to catch the eye with its high contrast “bandit” type color patterning.
Butterflyfish can be found from sea level to a depth of 600 feet though the Raccoon Butterflyfish tends more towards the shallower reefs where it feeds mainly on a wide variety of soft-bodied invertebrates.
So if we had the original name correct then were would call kikakapu a flutterby fish!You can see all of the Hawaiian butterflyfish in action in movie The Worlds Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fish up on my underwater educational web page at www.underwater2web.com and also follow my marine life educational Instagram post at terry.lilley.My underwater marine life video series makes a great holiday gift especially for the kids that love to snorkel on the coral reef and all the proceeds from video sales goes to our marine life research project here in Hawaii.By participating in online discussions you
They realized that the butterflyfish cleaned the corals as they feed on dead or sick coral polyps.These soft bodied coral polyps are the small anemone like creatures that grow a hard calcium carbonate skeleton we know as a stony coral.
Unless you purchase or capture them together, though, they are best kept one to a tank. The Raccoon Butterfly fish is one of the hardier of the butterfly species.
At night they settle down on the sea floor by them selves to sleep.Us marine biologist use the butterflyfish as “indicator species” to show how healthy a coral reef is. This is one of the beat know of the Hawaiian reef fish as divers can often see them in large schools up to 100 individuals. Raccoon butterflies are most often seen singly, periodically in pairs, only occasionally in groups. That name actually came from Europe after explorers had gone to India where they first saw large butterflies.The locals in India had named the insect a “flutterby” not butterfly! They're quite common but such beautiful animals nonetheless. When it gets frightened or chased by a large predator it can easily maneuver between the coral branches where the predator cannot follow.
The Hawaiian name, kīkākapu, is shared with several species of butterflyfishes. However, unlike the rest of the species, the Raccoon Butterflyfish tends to be active at night and sleeps suspended in the water during the day, often in medium to large schools. The raccoon butterflyfish is an omnivore and may occur as single individuals, pairs or small groups (Hourigan 1989). Raccoon Butterfly (Kikakapu) The Raccoon Butterflyfish get their name from their faces, which are masked like rac-coons’. Copyright © 2020 TheGardenIsland.com. Keep the pH-value at 8.1-8.4 and the specific gravity within the 1.020-1.025 range (ideally in the upper parts of this range). save hide report. Raccoon Butterfly Fish. RETICULATED BUTTERFLYFISH : Chaetodon ornatissimus. This is one of the beat know of the Hawaiian reef fish as divers can often see them in large schools up to 100 individuals. The Raccoon Butterfly Fish can be found in Southeast Atlantic and Indo-Pacific areas and is the most nocturnal fish. The more kikakapu on the reef usually means more live healthy coral.
Kikakapu may travel in large schools but they also will just hang out in pairs under a rocky ledge and rest.
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