Hawaii Biological Survey’s

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60. Bluestripe Butterflyfish

Scientific name: Chaetodon fremblii

Hawaiian Name: kikakapu

Classification: Phylum: Chordata. Class: Pisces. Family: Chaetodontidae

Origin: Endemic.

Status: Common.

Distribution: Reefs throughout the islands down to 600 feet (ca. 180 meters).

Map: —


Found only in Hawai‘i, this friendly fish is one of the more common of our reef fishes. It fits through the reefs like a butterfly, thus its name. These fish feed on a number of different kinds of marine invertebrates including tube worm tenacles, coral polyps, and small crustaceans.

   Photo by John E. Randall ©HBS