Painted Butterflyfish

Chaetodon pictus has a white marked with oblique black lines which go from the eye to the dorsal fin base on the upper anterior part of the body and in the opposite direction elsewhere. The rear of the dorsal and anal fins is yellow. There is a black vertical band running through the eye from the front of the dorsal fin, which joins onto the black dorsal fin margin and this in turn joins the rear vertical black band, forming the horseshoe that gives this species its common name. The caudal fin is yellow with a vertical black band. The juveniles have a black spot on the posterior part of the dorsal fin. This species attains a maximum length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in). This species is similar to the vagabond butterflyfish (C. vagabundus) but has the black caudal fin bands coloured reddish brown instead and the soft parts of the dorsal and anal fins of adults have more obvious points.

Chaetodon pictus occurs in the northwestern Indian Ocean where it is found southern Red Sea, northern Gulf of Aden east to Oman and possibly as far east as Pakistan.