The many-spined butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys multispinosus), also known as the multispine butterflyfish or spiny butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae, which is associated with deeper reefs around three island groups in the southern central Pacific Ocean.
Description The many-spined butterflyfish is a rather drab uniform grey colour. It has 14-16 spines in its dorsal fin and 5 spines in the anal fin. The maximum recorded length of this species is .
Distribution The many-spined butterflyfish is found only around a few island groups in the southern Pacific Ocean. It has been recorded from the British overseas territory of Pitcairn Island, Easter Island in Chile and, a single island in the Austral Islands, Rurutu, in French Polynesia.
Habitat and biology The many-spined butterflyfish occurs on deep seaward coral reefs where it aggregates into schools varying in size from small to large in the middle of the water column at depths between . It feeds on plankton. It is an oviparous species in which the males and females form pairs for breeding.
Taxonomy The many-spined butterflyfish was first formally described in 1975 by the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall (1924-2020) with the type locality given as the Patch reef off the Gannet Ridge on the northern side Pitcairn Island.
Utilisation The many-spined butterflyfish is almost unknown in the aquarium trade. Local fishermen collect this species for food using spears and the piscicide rotenone.
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