Pyramid Butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis) Breeding Guide

Breeding the pyramid butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis): a schooling, pelagic-spawning planktivore with planktonic larvae that is not bred in home aquariums.

Overview

Hemitaurichthys polylepis is a butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae) of the Pacific Ocean, reaching about 18 cm. It is a planktivore that occurs in large schools along steep, current-swept outer reef slopes (FishBase). It is oviparous and forms pairs during breeding (FishBase). As a butterflyfish it is a pelagic spawner and is not bred in home aquariums.

Sexing

External sexual dimorphism is not documented in the consulted sources; the species forms pairs during breeding, but reliable visual sexing is not described.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Butterflyfish are pelagic spawners that release many buoyant eggs into the water, which become part of the plankton and float with the currents until hatching (Wikipedia). The pyramid butterflyfish forms pairs during breeding (FishBase). Because eggs are released into open water in current-swept reef environments, spawning cannot be reproduced or captured in an aquarium.

Egg & Fry Care

Butterflyfish larvae pass through the tholichthys stage, in which the post-larval body is covered in large bony plates lost on maturation (Wikipedia). The prolonged planktonic larval phase and minute first-stage larvae make these fish among the hardest marine species to rear; no home protocol exists for this species.

Common Challenges

Broadcast pelagic eggs, a long drifting larval period, and the tholichthys stage put breeding Hemitaurichthys polylepis beyond home aquaria. A small group can be kept successfully, but reproduction to settlement is not achievable at home.