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Animalia >Chordata >Osteichthyes >Perciformes >Chaetodontidae >Chaetodon >

The butterflyfish forms heterosexual pair bonds. Each pair defends a feeding territory against conspecifics. In territorial disputes, the fish seldom attacks the opponent but frequently perform tail-up display or lateral display. In the display, the fish rises the tail and lowers the head, showing the lateral side to other fish. It is usual for the display to be accompanied with two additional behavioral components, S-shaping and fin spreading. The display is often responded by the same display of other fish, and thus mutual display occurs.

This movie shows a dispute between territorial pairs near the territorial boundaries. You can see that tail-up display is performed many times. The last part of the movie shows a mutual display at slow speed.

For more details, see the Yabuta (2000). See also Yabuta (1999), which investigated the causal rules relating with the display.

See also momo010711c102a in this database.

Yabuta, S. (1999) Behavioral rules and tail-up display in extra- and intra-pair interactions of the butteractions of the butterflyfish, Chaetodon lunulatus. J Ethol 17: 79-86
Yabuta, S. (2000) Behaviors in agonistic interaction of the butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus). J Ethol 18: 11-15

(Data No.momo010711cl01b)

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