Asian Butterflyfish
Chaetodon argentatus
- Usual depth2–11 m
- Water temperature22–29 °C
- Best monthsJune, July, and August
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Chaetodon argentatus, the Asian butterflyfish, three band butterflyfish or black pearlscaled butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the western Pacific Ocean.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Chaetodon argentatus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 3 records
- February: 2 records
- March: 6 records
- April: 8 records
- May: 4 records
- June: 14 records
- July: 11 records
- August: 11 records
- September: 8 records
- October: 8 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 5 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 2–11 m · Deepest record: 10.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 22–29 °C
Photos
(c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) jeyre, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) João D'Andretta, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Min-Hsuan NI, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Asian Butterflyfish, Three-band Butterflyfish
Names in 4 more languages
- German
- Silber-Gitterfalterfisch
- Spanish
- Pez Mariposa Asiática
- Japanese
- Kagamichochouo, Kagami-chôchô-uo, カガミチョウチョウウオ
- Simplified Chinese
- 銀身蝴蝶魚, 黑鏡蝶
Other scientific names: Anisochaetodon argentatus
Similar species
Threadfin butterflyfishChaetodon auriga
Citron ButterflyChaetodon citrinellus
Blackblotch ButterflyfishChaetodon ephippium
Sunburst butterflyfishChaetodon kleinii
Raccoon butterflyfishChaetodon lunula
Oval ButterflyfishChaetodon lunulatus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 49 open-data records from 1973 to 1991.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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