Chaetodon lunula, (Lacepède, 1802)
The raccoon butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula), also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish, lunule butterflyfish, halfmoon butterflyfish, moon butterflyfish, raccoon butterfly, raccoon, raccoon coralfish, and redstriped butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Chaetodon lunula can reach a length of 20 cm (nearly 8 in). These large butterflyfishes have an oval outline, with a pattern of ascending oblique reddish stripes on the flanks and black and white bands over the face and eyes, similar to the "raccoon" mask (hence the common name). They show a black spot on the caudal peduncle and oblique yellow stripes behind the head. They have 10–14 dorsal spines and 3 anal spines.
This species can be found widely throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region (East Africa to the Hawaiian and Marquesan islands, north to southern Japan) and in the southeast Atlantic (South Africa).
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