Taxonomy
Taxonomy in detail
Scientific name
Hemitaurichthys thompsoni
Authority
Fowler, 1923
Synonyms
Common names
English
Thompson's Butterflyfish, Thompson's butterfly
Danish
Thompsons Fanefisk
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The Red list Assessment
Allen, G.R., Fricke, R., Myers, R. & Pratchett, M. 2010. Hemitaurichthys thompsoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T154788A4633577. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T154788A4633577.en. Accessed on 09 June 2022.
Last assessed
09 October 2009
Scope of assessment
Global
Population trend
Stable
Number of mature individuals
Habitat and ecology
Marine Neritic
Assessment Information
IUCN Red List Category and Criteria
Date assessed
09 October 2009
Year published
2010
Annotations
Needs updating
Assessment Information in detail
Year last seen
Previously published Red List assessments
Regional assessments
Assessor(s)
Allen, G.R., Fricke, R., Myers, R. & Pratchett, M.
Reviewer(s)
Polidoro, B., Elfes, C., Livingstone, S. & Carpenter, K.E.
Contributor(s)
De Silva, R., Milligan, H., Lutz, M., Batchelor, A., Jopling, B., Kemp, K., Lewis, S., Lintott, P., Sears, J., Wilson, P., Smith, J. & Livingston, F.
Facilitator(s) / Compiler(s)
Partner(s) / Institution(s)
Authority / Authorities
Justification
Hemitaurichthys thompsoni has been assessed as Least Concern. This species is wide-spread throughout the Pacific Islands and occurs in large aggregations. There are no major threats, although it is sometimes collected for the aquarium trade, and there are some localised threats from habitat degradation e.g. coral bleaching. Further research on population trends, ecology and impact of threats to this species would be of value.
Geographic Range
Native
Extant (resident)
American Samoa; Cook Islands; French Polynesia (Tuamotu); Kiribati (Phoenix Is., Kiribati Line Is.); Marshall Islands; Northern Mariana Islands; Samoa; Tokelau; United States (Hawaiian Is.); United States Minor Outlying Islands (Johnston I., Wake Is.)
Number of locations
Upper depth limit
4 metres
Lower depth limit
300 metres
Geographic Range in detail
FAO Fishing Areas
| Origin | Locations |
|---|---|
| Native | Pacific - eastern central |
| Native | Pacific - northwest |
| Native | Pacific - western central |
Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) (km²)
Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO)
Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)
Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) (km²)
Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)
Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)
Continuing decline in number of locations
Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations
Range Description
Hemitaurichthys thompsoni occurs throughout most of Oceania, from the Ogasawara Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Taongi and Wake Atolls, and throughout Polynesia from the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Island south to Samoa, the Cook, Society and Tuamotu Islands. The distribution of this species may possibly be more widespread (R. Fricke pers. comm. 2008). This species occurs at depths of 4-300 m.
Population
Current population trend
Number of mature individuals
Population severely fragmented
No
Continuing decline of mature individuals
Population in detail
Extreme fluctuations
No. of subpopulations
Continuing decline in subpopulations
Extreme fluctuations in subpopulations
All individuals in one subpopulation
No. of individuals in largest subpopulation
Description
Hemitaurichthys thompsoni is uncommon throughout its range (Lieske and Myers 1994), although it is moderately common in the Phoenix Islands occurring in aggregations (G.R. Allen pers. comm. 2009). There is no reason to believe that the population is declining.
Habitat and Ecology
System
Habitat type
Generation length (years)
Congregatory
Congregatory (and dispersive)
Movement patterns
Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat
Habitat and Ecology in detail
Habitat and Ecology
The butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys thompsoni, is found on coral reefs. It is typically seen on the outer-reef, fore-reef slopes and drop-offs. This species occupies a depth range of 4-300 m. This species forms schools high in the water column where it feeds on zooplankton, especially copepods.
Classification scheme
| Habitats | Suitability | Major importance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. Marine Neritic | 9.8. Marine Neritic - Coral Reef | 9.8.1. Outer Reef Channel | Suitable | Yes |
| 9.8.3. Foreslope (Outer Reef Slope) | Suitable | Yes | ||
Threats
Biological resource use
- Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources
Climate change & severe weather
- Habitat shifting & alteration
Threats in detail
Threats
Hemitaurichthys thompsoni is harvested for the aquarium trade, but collecting is not common over most of its range.
Classification scheme
Use and Trade
Pets/display animals, horticulture
Local: ✘
National: ✘
International: ✔
Use and Trade in detail
Use and Trade
This species is sometimes collected for the aquarium trade (G.R. Allen pers. comm. 2006).
Conservation Actions
In-place land/water protection
- Occurs in at least one protected area : Yes
Conservation Actions in detail
Conservation Actions
There are no known species-specific conservation measures in place for Hemitaurichthys thompsoni, however it is known to occur within marine protected areas, including the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park.
Conservation actions classification scheme
| Conservation Actions Needed | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Research classification scheme
| Research Needed | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Research | 1.3. Life history & ecology | ||
| 3. Monitoring | 3.1. Population trends | ||
Bibliography
Red List Bibliography
Allen, G.R. 1980. Butterfly and angelfishes of the world. Wiley, New York.
Burgess, W.E. 1978. Butterflyfishes of the world. A monograph of the Family Chaetodontidae. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey.
Froese, R. and Pauly, D. 2006. FishBase. Available at: www.fishbase.org.
Hardy Jr., J.D. 2003. Coral reef fish species. National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) Coral Reef Data and Information Management System. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Oceanographic Data Center.
Hobson, E.S. 1974. Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona, Hawaii. Fishery Bulletin 72(4): 915-1031.
IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.4). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 27 October 2010).
Lieske, E. and Myers, R. 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific and Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers.
Masuda, H. and Allen, G.R. 1993. Meeresfische der Welt - Groß-Indopazifische Region. Tetra Verlag, Melle, Germany.
McCormack, G. 2000. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage database. Available at: http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/.
Michael, S.W. 2004. Angelfishes and butterflyfishes: plus ten more aquarium fish families with expert captive care advice for the marine aquarist. T.F.H. Publication, Microcosm, Neptune City, America.
Miyasaka, A. 1993. A database on scientific and common names of fishes exported from Hawaii.
Myers, R.F. 1989. Micronesian Reef Fishes: A practical Guide to the identification of the Coral Reef Fishes of the Tropical Central and Western Pacific. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam.
Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii.
External Data
Images and External Links
Images and External Links in detail
iNaturalist.org observations
Search sites for species
CITES Legislation from Species+
Data Source
The information below is from the Species+ website.
CITES Legislation from Species+ in detail
Studies and Actions from Conservation Evidence
Data Source
The information below is from the Conservation Evidence website.
Studies and Actions from Conservation Evidence in detail
