Kikakapu--Racoon Butterflyfish

There are many beautiful butterfly fish on the reefs of Hawaii. The first one I noticed is the raccoon butterflyfish, Chaetodon lunula, also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish or lunule butterflyfish, is found in the Indo-Pacific region and in the southeast Atlantic. Its length is up to 20 cm (nearly 8 in).

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.

racoon butterflyfish at kahalu'u