This species can be found on lagoon, pinnacle and seaward reefs, but is usually quite rare at Kwajalein. After seeing one and getting a poor photo of it many years ago, we searched for several more years before finally finding another. Suddenly in May of 1999, juveniles appeared everywhere. They could be found throughout the southern portion of the atoll at least, and were very common on the western seaward reef. Over the next few years, we watched this cohort of butterflies get larger, pair up, and then slowly fade away. At this writing (Oct 2010), Chaetodon meyeri is again hard to find, although not as rare as it was before the "great settling" of 1999. Being usually rare at Kwajalein, Chaetodon meyeri cannot often find a mate of the same species. But apparently it is closely enough related to the very common Chaetodon reticulatus that they frequently pair up and form hybrids. Most of the time, we see more Chaetodon meyeri/reticulatus hybrids than we do full-blooded C. meyeri. This species eats only live coral polyps.
Below is one of the 1999 juveniles, here hanging around with a juvenile Chaetodon ornatissimus.
Created 15 October 2010
Updated 22 May 2014