Eclipse

Colophon

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The animals on the cover of Eclipse are ornate butterflyfish (Chaetodon ornatissimus). Ornate butterflyfish are easily recognized by their white skin marked with orange diagonal, parallel stripes. A black eye-band runs vertically down the head to conceal the eye-an adaptation that confuses predators as to the direction the fish will flee when attacked. Butterflyfish have laterally compressed bodies that enable them to swim stealthily through coral crevices. These reef-dwelling fish are native to the tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific, inhabiting both shallow lagoons and seaward reefs.

Mature butterflyfish are characteristically monogamous and travel in mated pairs. During the day, the home-ranging pairs search for food; at night, they sleep hidden in reef recesses. Adults usually spawn at dusk, rising 30 to 50 feet above their habitats into the water column, where they release a white cloud of gametes before quickly returning to the bottom. The abandoned, tiny, buoyant, fertilized eggs are dispersed by the currents. Once hatched, usually within 30 hours of fertilization, the larvae are protected by bony armor, which is shed during the juvenile stage. Juveniles are solitary until they reach sexual maturity, about a year after ...