Chaetodon mesoleucos

Chaetodon mesoleucos has a bluish white anterior part of the body with a vertical black band running through the eye. The rest of the body is pale grey in colour marked with numerous vertical black lines. The caudal fin is black with a white on the inner margin near the caudal peduncle.^[3] This species attains a maximum total length of 13 centimetres (5.1 in), although 12 centimetres (4.7 in) is more common.^[2]

Chaetodon mesoleucos is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean. It occurs from the central Red Sea, into the Gulf of Aden and around Socotra.^[1]

Chaetodon mesoleucos occurs at depths between 1 and 25 metres (3.3 and 82.0 ft),^[1] inhabiting coral reefs where they occur in pairs.^[2] They are thought to feed mainly on coral polyps but will eat a variety of benthic invertebrates.^[3] Little is known about the biology of this species.^[1]

Chaetodon mesoleucos was first formally described in 1775 by the Swedish-speaking Finnish explorer, orientalist, naturalist Peter Forsskål (1732-1763), his description was published in 1775 by his companion on his expedition to Yemen, the orientalist and mathematician Carsten Niebuhr. The type locality was given as Al-Mukhā in Yemen.^[4] It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus.^[5]

Chaetodon mesoleucos is uncommon in the aquarium trade.^[1] However, it is not a difficult species to keep in captivity.^[3]