Sealife guideThe eastern triangle butterflyfishChaetodon baronessa

Last updated on 10/14/2024 at 11:45 PM

Taxonomy

Common name: Eastern triangle butterflyfish, triangular butterflyfish
French name: Poisson papillon triangulaire indien
Scientific name: Chaetodon baronessa (Cuvier, 1829)
Family name: Chaetodontidae
Order name: Acanthuriformes
Class name: Actinopterygii

Geographic range

The eastern triangle butterflyfish is found in the central Indo-Pacific region, from the Cocos Islands and Indonesia in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Fiji and Tonga islands, north to southern Japan, and south to New Caledonia and the New South Wales region in Australia.

The eastern triangle butterflyfish (Chaetodon baronessa) © Orlandin | Dreamstime.com

Did you know ?

The eastern triangle butterflyfish is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The eastern triangle butterflyfish appears in the IUCN Red List since 2010 within the category Least Concern !

Tips for observing

Be careful not to confuse the eastern triangle butterflyfish with two other species of butterflyfish looking similar, the triangle butterflyfish (Chaetodon triangulum) you can find in Madagascar, in Seychelles, in Mautitius island as well as in Chagos archipelago and the triangulate butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifascialis).

Within the same genus

Banded butterflyfish
(Chaetodon striatus)

Blackback butterflyfish
(Chaetodon melannotus)

Foureye butterflyfish
(Chaetodon capistratus)

Panda butterflyfish
(Chaetodon adiergastos)

Redtail butterflyfish
(Chaetodon collare)

Speckled butterflyfish
(Chaetodon citrinellus)

Teardrop butterflyfish
(Chaetodon unimaculatus)

Threadfin butterflyfish
(Chaetodon auriga)

Within the same family

Copperbanded butterfly
(Chelmon rostratus)

Horned bannerfish
(Heniochus varius)

Longnose butterflyfish
(Forcipiger flavissimus)

Orange banded butterflyfish
(Coradion chrysozonus)

Pyramid butterflyfish
(Hemitaurichthys polylepis)

Singular bannerfish
(Heniochus singularius)

Two eyed butterflyfish
(Coradion melanopus)

Discover also

Bermuda chub
(Kyphosus sectatrix)

Glasseye snapper
(Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)

Longsnout seahorse
(Hippocampus reidi)

Midnight parrotfish
(Scarus coelestinus)

Painted sweetlips
(Diagramma pictum)

Reticulate stargazer
(Dactyloscopus foraminosus)

Sea goldie
(Pseudanthias squamipinnis)

Tompot blenny
(Parablennius gattorugine)

Our latestUpdates

Thursday, April 23rd 2026

Where to see groupers in the Mediterranean ?

Discover where to see groupers in the Mediterranean: the best diving spots and protected marine areas to observe this iconic fish in its natural habitat.

Monday, April 20th 2026

The broadnose sevengill shark

Discover the broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus), a large primitive coastal shark with seven gill slits living in temperate and subtropical waters around the world.

Monday, March 2nd 2026

The blueface angelfish

The blueface angelfish is a very colorful fish of the tropical coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, recognizable by its bright blue head and its bluish body finely reticulated with yellow.

Photo of the Day

Eponge tonneau
(Xestospongia muta)