Butterfly fish

← (50) Surgeonfish

New Horizons fish

Napoleonfish (52) →

New Horizons fish
← (50) Surgeonfish	→ Napoleonfish (52)

Not to be confused with the sea butterfly.

Butterfly fish
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Chaetodon auripes (Oriental butterflyfish) Family: Chaetodontidae (butterflyfishes)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  チョウチョウウオ  耳带蝴蝶鱼  Poisson-papillon  Pez mariposa  Pesce farfalla  Рыба-бабочка  나비고기  耳帶蝴蝶魚  Poisson-papillon  Pez mariposa  Falterfisch  Koraalvlinder

The butterfly fish (formatted as the butterflyfish in City Folk) is a fish in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Animal Crossing: City Folk. It appears as a small shadow in the sea all day from mid spring to early fall.

Catch details

In City Folk

#43

"I caught a butterfly fish! I didn't even have to use a net!"

Description	These are said to use their bright colors to communicate with their peers.
Time of year	Apr – Sep
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Small
Fish size	About 7.2 in.
Selling price	1,000 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

The alternative catch quote can be seen when this fish is caught for the first time

#47

"I caught a butterfly fish! As mayor, welcome to my pockets!"

Alternate catch quote: "I caught a butterfly fish! Keep flying, fishy!"

Time of year	Apr – Sep All year (Tortimer Island)
Time of day	All day
Peak times	May – June
Location	Sea Tortimer Island
Shadow size	Small
Fish size	18 cm
Selling price	1,000 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

#99

Event availability	None
Location	Saltwater Shores
Shadow size	Small
Fish size	15.0 cm - 21.0 cm
Rarity	★★
Catch rate	Cannot be caught at this time
Selling price	500 Bells
Request reward	1,500 Bells, 3 Friendship Points Fortune Cookie (20%), Bronze Treats (30%)

In New Horizons

#51

"I caught a butterfly fish! Did it change from a caterpillar fish?"

Time of year	North: Apr – Sep South: Oct – Mar
Time of day	All day
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Small
Rarity	Uncommon
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  1,000 Bells  C.J.:  1,500 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

In City Folk

Upon donating the butterfly fish to the museum, Blathers will say;

"This is a butterfly fish, but the truth is that there are over 100 varieties of this creature... They live in the oceans of the far south, and each variety has its own distinctive coloration. These fish are most often seen socializing in groups among stalks of coral. Rather chatty, wot?"

It can be found in the back tank with the other sea fish.

In New Leaf

Upon donation to the museum, the information board in front of the tank that houses the butterfly fish says:

"Butterfly fish are considered very cute pets, popular because of their beautiful nature. They glide through the warm seas by flapping their yellow bodies as if they were butterflies. Their diets are surprisingly hardy, as they gobble coral and poisonous anemones using narrow mouths. Butterfly-fish couples have been known to live together for 10 years or more. Often they can be seen swimming around in pairs. You'll likely never find a better underwater romance."

In New Horizons

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"Ah, the butterfly fish is just charming with its beautiful colors and elegant movements. I refer to it as a butterfly fish, but it's actually a grouping in which there are over 100 types! These beautiful aquatic friends swim in schools amid coral, fluttering back and forth with the tides. The sheer awe one must experience when witnessing such a sight. It must be a dream! So much better than actual butterflies..."

Fishing Tourney

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a butterfly fish, Chip will say the following dialogue.

In City Folk

"Check it out. I like my butterflyfish seared with a macadamia-nut butter. Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf

"Now with a butterfly fish, you want to salt and then grill that guy right up. I'm not that picky, of course, so I'm just gonna scarf it raw! YUM!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

• 

  Animal Crossing: City Folk

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

The real life butterfly fish.

This butterfly fish is the oriental butterflyfish (Chaetodon auripes). There are many species of butterfly fish, some of which bear a resemblance to the barred knifejaw. More information on this topic is available at Wikipedia.

Names in other languages

	チョウチョウウオ chouchou uo	(Oriental) butterflyfish
	나비고기 nabigogi	(Oriental) butterflyfish
	耳带蝴蝶鱼 ěrdài húdiéyú	Oriental butterflyfish (lit. "Ear-stripe butterflyfish")
	耳帶蝴蝶魚 Unknown
	Рыба-бабочка Ryba-babochka	Chaetodon (genus of butterflyfish)
	Koraalvlinder	Coral butterfly
	Falterfisch	Butterfly fish
	Pez mariposa	—
	Poisson-papillon	—
	Pesce farfalla	—

Pocket Camp fish

Fishing Fishing Tourney Locations Saltwater Shores • Lost Lure Creek List of fish Amazon leaffish Anchovy Barbel steed Bitterling Black bass Black ghost knifefish Blowfish Blue marlin Butterfly fish Carp Char Cherry salmon Comb jelly Crawfish Crucian carp Dab Dark-banded rockfish Eel Flying fish Football fish Freshwater crab Frog Gar Giant king salmon Giant manta ray Giant river prawn Giant snakehead Giant trevally Golden trout Guppy Harlequin shrimp Horse mackerel Japanese halfbeak King dab King goliath frog King koi King olive flounder King red snapper King salmon Koi Largehead hairtail Loach Mantis shrimp Mitten crab Moorish idol Napoleonfish Nebula starfish Neon tetra Nomura's jellyfish Northern comb jelly Oarfish Ocean sunfish Octopus Olive flounder Pale chub Pike Pineapplefish Rainbow trout Ray Red snow crab Red snapper Ribbon eel Sakura shrimp Sea horse Snow crab Soft-shelled turtle Spider crab Spiny lobster Splendid alfonsino Splendid garden eel Spotted garden eel Spring mackerel Squid Stringfish Sturgeon Sweetfish Tadpole Threadfin trevally Tiger prawn Tilapia Tuna Vampire crab Violet sea snail Whale shark Yellow perch Zebra turkeyfish List of event fish Achilles surgeonfish Amethyst jewelfish Angelfish Aqua eggler fish Aquamarine jewelfish Arowana Atlantic horseshoe crab Atlantic mackerel Barred knifejaw Barreleye Bering wolffish Berry-chocolate fish Betta Bicolor dottyback Bigfin reef squid Black clown fish Black Horsehair Crab Black ruby barb Black wakin goldfish 30px Blackspot tuckfish Blooper 30px Blue bewitched frog Blue flagonfish Blue moon jellyfish Blue starfish 30px Blueberry-candy fish Bluegill Catfish Chambered nautilus Cheep Cheep Cheep Chomp 30px Cherry-candy fish Clown fish Coelacanth Crystal red shrimp Dace Dark-chocolate fish Diamond tetra 30px Dorado Eep Cheep 30px Fancy pastel arapaima 30px Fancy pastel arowana 30px Fancy pastel carp Flame angelfish Giant isopod Giant sparkly manta ray Giant squid Gold football fish Gold horse mackerel Gold olive flounder Gold starfish Gold tuna Golden koi Goldfish Gourami Grape candy fish Great barracuda Great white shark Green bonefish Green boxfish Green discus Green lumpfish Green moon jellyfish Green Napoleonfish Green octopus Green spotted puffer Green squid Hammerhead shark Honey eel Honey sea horse Honey sea slug Horsehair crab Horseshoe crab Icy butterfly fish Icy chambered nautilus Icy lobster Island Horse Mackerel Island olive flounder Island red snapper Island tuna Ivory arowana Killifish 30px Lemon-candy fish Lemur-tail seahorse Lobster Longsnout seahorse Mahi-mahi Maple-leaf koi Melon candy fish Milk-chocolate fish Nebula starfish Opah 30px Orange bewitched frog Orange bonefish Orange candy fish Orange discus 30px Pacific cod Pacific saury Pink anemonefish Pink eggler fish Pink koi Pink squid Piranha Platinum black bass Platinum catfish Platinum gar Platinum pale chub Pond smelt Pop-eyed goldfish Pot-bellied seahorse Puffer fish 30px Purple bewitched frog Purple bonefish Purple festival fish Purple octopus Purple starfish Ranchu goldfish Red festival fish Red flagonfish 30px Red king crab Red lionfish Red lumpfish Red sea bream Red wakin goldfish Ruby jewelfish 30px Saddled bichir Salmon Saw shark Sea bass Sea butterfly Shark Silver arowana Skipjack tuna Smalltooth sand tiger Sparkly jellyfish Sparkly whale shark Spotted knifejaw Surgeonfish Sweet shrimp Threadfin butterflyfish Umbrella octopus Weedy stingfish White angelfish White butterfly koi White lumpfish White puffer fish White ribbon eel White starfish White tuxedo guppy Yellow boxfish Yellow eggler fish Yellow festival fish Yellow flagonfish Yellow king piranha Yellow moon jellyfish Yellow starfish Yellowfin tuna Zebra moray Project