Bluecheeked Butterflyfish

In this video

The Bluecheeked ButterflyfishChaetodon semilarvatus, is a species of butterflyfish belonging to the Actinopterygii class, Periformes order, Chaetodontidae family. It is found in the Red Sea and the Aden Gulf, at depths of between 3 and 20 m. Pesce Farfalla Mascherato Bluecheeked Butterflyfish Chaetodon semilarvatus intotheblue.it

Pesce Farfalla Mascherato - Blue-cheeked Butterflyfish - Chaetodon semilarvatus - intotheblue.it
Pesce Farfalla Mascherato – Bluecheeked Butterflyfish – Chaetodon semilarvatus – intotheblue.it

The bluecheeked butterflyfish belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus. In this group, it seems closest to a group containing the Blackbak butterflyfish (C. melannotus), the spot-naped butterflyfish  (C. oxycephalus), or the peculiar black-wedged butterflyfish (C. falcula) and Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish or “false falcula”, (C. ulietensis). Though the present species does not share their white body with black on the back and caudal peduncle and even lacks the typical eyestripe of Chaetodon, it has the same tell-tale blue vertical lines as these species.

Pesce Farfalla Mascherato - Blue-cheeked Butterflyfish - Chaetodon semilarvatus - intotheblue.it
Pesce Farfalla Mascherato – Bluecheeked Butterflyfish – Chaetodon semilarvatus – intotheblue.it

Its length is up to 13 cm. It is mostly yellow, with thin slate blue vertical lines on the sides and a slate blue cheek patch in lieu of the usual black eyestripe of most Chaetodon.This species is one of the few fish species to have long-term mates. In the wild, the fish eats hard corals as well as benthic invertebrates. Il Pesce Farfalla Mascherato

Pesce Farfalla Mascherato - Blue-cheeked Butterflyfish - Chaetodon semilarvatus - intotheblue.it
Pesce Farfalla Mascherato – Bluecheeked Butterflyfish – Chaetodon semilarvatus – intotheblue.it

This video was made in the coral reef of Sharm el-Sheikh, Sharm is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 73,000 as of 2015. Sharm El Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt’s South Sinai Governorate, which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, St.Catherine and Mount Sinai.

The city and holiday resort is a significant centre for tourism in Egypt, while also attracting many international conferences and diplomatic meetings. Sharm El Sheikh (meaning “Bay of the Sheikh”) is also known as the “City of Peace; Egyptian Arabic: Madinet Es-Salaam”, referring to the large number of International peace conferences that have been held there.

It was known as Şarm-üş Şeyh during Ottoman rule, and as Ofira when the area was under Israeli sovereignty between 1967 and 1982. Among Egyptians and many visitors, the name of the city is commonly shortened to “Sharm”,  which is its common name in the Egyptian slang. The name is also sometimes written as Sharm el-Cheikh, Sharm el-Sheik in English. Sharm El Sheikh is on a promontori  overlooking the Straits of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Its strategic importance led to its transformation from a fishing village into a major port and naval base for the Egyptian Navy. It was occupied by Israel during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957.

(extract from Wikipedia)

 

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