Functional morphology of butterflyfishes

Butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae) have historically been grouped with several deep-bodied reef fish families into the squamipinnes, or ‘scaly-finned’ fishes (Mok and Shen, 1982; Gosline, 1985; Blum, 1988; Tyler et al., 1989). However, it is presently uncertain whether this grouping is monophyletic (Konow et al., 2008). Apart from butterflyfishes (128 species worldwide; Fig. 2.1), and their purported sister-family (Burgess, 1974), the angelfishes, family Pomacanthidae (86 species), the squamipinnes are comprised of acanthuroid surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae), rabbitfishes (Siganidae) and the Moorish Idol (Zanclidae), the Kyphosidae (incl. microcanthids and girellids) and the fairly species-depauperate Ephippidae, Drepanidae and Scatophagidae (Tyler et al., 1989; Froese and Pauly, 2012).