Pairs of Ornate Butterflyfish are a fairly common sight on Maui, especially on healthy coral reefs. It’s not too unusual to see small groups darting in and out of coral heads, though I personally have never seen a school of more than eight fish.. Individual juveniles can often be seen in lagoons, especially if the coral provides safe nooks and crannies for them to hide in. As one of the photos in this collection shows, they feed on coral, but unlike most butterflyfish who feed on the polyps, the Ornate thrives on the coral mucous or tissue. Coral bleaching and decimation of the reefs will undoubtedly have a negative affect on populations.. To eight inches. (IUCN Redlist).
