 The oldest fossils that are usually assigned to "Chaetodon" date from the late Oligocene, about 25 million years ago.But since it is not easy to distinguish this genus from close relatives, it may be that the Oligocene fossils are actually of other Chaetodontidae.The fossil record of this family is scant indeed, only "Chelmon" (or some similar genus like "Chelmonops" or "Coradion") being known from Miocene remains.