French Angelfish (juvenile)
TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Pomacanthidae (Angelfishes)
Genus/species: Pomacanthus paru
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: French Angelfish have tall, narrow bodies. and can turn quickly and maneuver down into narrow cracks between the corals to hunt prey and avoid predators.
The most observable difference between angelfishes and butterflyfishes is the preopercule spine on the gill cover common to angelfishes. Bodies are covered in black scales except those at front from nape to abdomen, which are rimmed with golden yellow. Adults have a broad orange-yellow bar at the base of their pectoral fins and have a dorsal filament that is yellow.
Juveniles are jet black with circular bright yellow bands.
Max length : 41 cm (16 inches), common length : 25.0 cm (10 inches).
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Western Atlantic: Florida, USA and Bahamas to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Eastern Atlantic: off Ascension Island to the west coasts of Africa in shallow reefs. Depth range 3 - 100 m (10-90 feet).
DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivore: feeding on sponges, algae, bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians and tunicates.
REPRODUCTION: P. paru are oviparous and monogamous. Spawning pairs are strongly territorial, with usually both members vigorously defending their areas against neighboring pairs.
CONSERVATION: IUCN; Least concern.
REMARKS: They swim by rowing with their pectoral fins.
Juveniles tend cleaning stations where they service a broad range of clients, including jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes, and wrasses. At the station the cleaner displays a fluttering swimming and when cleaning it touches the clients with its pelvic fins.
Ciguatera poisoning may rarely occur from eating French angelfish.
References
California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, Caribbean Reef 2018
Ron's Wordpress Shortlink: wp.me/p1DZ4b-KJ
Ron's flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157625866509117/...
fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/1118
ADW animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pomacanthus_paru/
Taken on May 30, 2008, 2-19-13, 11-21-13, 1-20-14, 8-14-15, 1-4-16, 10-20-16, 11-11-18
French Angelfish (juvenile)
TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Pomacanthidae (Angelfishes)
Genus/species: Pomacanthus paru
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: French Angelfish have tall, narrow bodies. and can turn quickly and maneuver down into narrow cracks between the corals to hunt prey and avoid predators.
The most observable difference between angelfishes and butterflyfishes is the preopercule spine on the gill cover common to angelfishes. Bodies are covered in black scales except those at front from nape to abdomen, which are rimmed with golden yellow. Adults have a broad orange-yellow bar at the base of their pectoral fins and have a dorsal filament that is yellow.
Juveniles are jet black with circular bright yellow bands.
Max length : 41 cm (16 inches), common length : 25.0 cm (10 inches).
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Western Atlantic: Florida, USA and Bahamas to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Eastern Atlantic: off Ascension Island to the west coasts of Africa in shallow reefs. Depth range 3 - 100 m (10-90 feet).
DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivore: feeding on sponges, algae, bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians and tunicates.
REPRODUCTION: P. paru are oviparous and monogamous. Spawning pairs are strongly territorial, with usually both members vigorously defending their areas against neighboring pairs.
CONSERVATION: IUCN; Least concern.
REMARKS: They swim by rowing with their pectoral fins.
Juveniles tend cleaning stations where they service a broad range of clients, including jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes, and wrasses. At the station the cleaner displays a fluttering swimming and when cleaning it touches the clients with its pelvic fins.
Ciguatera poisoning may rarely occur from eating French angelfish.
References
California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, Caribbean Reef 2018
Ron's Wordpress Shortlink: wp.me/p1DZ4b-KJ
Ron's flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157625866509117/...
fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/1118
ADW animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pomacanthus_paru/
Taken on May 30, 2008, 2-19-13, 11-21-13, 1-20-14, 8-14-15, 1-4-16, 10-20-16, 11-11-18