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Many have eyespots on their flanks and dark bands across their eyes, not unlike the patterns seen on butterfly wings. [4] Their deep, laterally narrow bodies are easily noticed through the profusion of reef life. The conspicuous coloration of butterflyfish may be intended for interspecies communication.
Hemitaurichthys zoster, commonly known as the brown-and-white butterflyfish, black pyramid butterflyfish, zoster butterflyfish, or brushtooth butterflyfish, is a marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae native to the Indian Ocean.
Although the coloration of this group varies greatly, they are all largish butterflyfishes with an oval outline, and most have a pattern of ascending oblique stripes on the flanks. Except in the red-tailed butterflyfish, there is at least a vestigial form of the " raccoon " mask, with a white space between the dark crown and eye areas.
The wings of Lepidoptera are minutely scaled, which gives the name to this order; the name Lepidoptera was coined in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus for the group of "insects with four scaly wings". It is derived from Ancient Greek lepis (λεπίς) meaning "(fish) scale" (and related to lepein "to peel") and pteron (πτερόν) meaning "wing". [37]
Chaetodon ornatissimus is most easily identified by its color pattern, which helps protect it from predators. Ornate butterflyfish have white bodies with orange to orange-brown oblique bands. [ 2 ] They also have two yellow-edged black bars on their head: one runs across the eyes and the other is on the snout, and the tail has two black bars. [ 2 ]
The bluecheek butterflyfish is one of the few fish species to have long-term mates. [4] In the wild, the fish eats hard corals as well as benthic invertebrates. [5] This is a common species which is found in areas with rich coral growth. They are frequently recorded in pairs or in small shoals.
The wings of Morpho menelaus are a prime example of iridescent blue coloration in the insect world. The bright and iridescent colors of other butterflies are typically caused by optical interference, but the iridescent blue color of butterflies in the family Morphidae results from the microstructures of the wings.
The sapphire blue of the upper wings may appear black or neon blue depending on how the light is reflected. The undersides of the hindwings have a cryptic coloration, as they are mottled with different shades of color, varying from gray to brown, while the under sides of the forewings are black with white patches.