About Parachaetodon ocellatus (Cuvier, 1831)
Parachaetodon ocellatus has a mostly yellow, triangular dorsal fin. Its body has a white background color, with five brown or orange bands. The first of these bands runs through the eye; it is orange and edged with black. The band that starts underneath the center of the dorsal fin has a dark blotch near the fin base. A second, oval-shaped black mark with a silvery forward margin is located on the caudal peduncle. A fainter bar runs along the margins of the dorsal and anal fins. The dorsal fin contains 6-7 spines and 28-30 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 18-20 soft rays. This species reaches a maximum total length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in).
Parachaetodon ocellatus has an Indo-Pacific distribution, which extends from eastern India and Sri Lanka east through southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and into the Pacific Ocean as far east as Fiji. It ranges as far north as the Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands of Japan, and as far south as Australia. In Australia, its range extends from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia – though juveniles have been recorded as far south as Perth – north along Australia's tropical coast, then as far south as Sydney on the east coast.
Parachaetodon ocellatus inhabits coastal and inner reefs, and typically occurs as pairs or in small aggregations over open areas with sand or silt substrate. These areas normally have scattered patches of sponge. Juveniles are occasionally recorded in seagrass growing in sheltered areas such as bays or lagoons. Its diet consists of small benthic invertebrates, and may also include some sponges. It is an oviparous species that forms pairs for spawning.
