ANGELFISH
Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae.
They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian,
and mostly western Pacific oceans. The family contains seven
genera and approximately 86 species. They should not be
confused with the freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the
Amazon River basin.
With their vibrant colours and deep, laterally compressed bodies,
marine angelfishes are some of the more conspicuous residents
of the reef. They most closely resemble the butterflyfishes, a
related family of similarly showy reef fish. Marine angelfish are
distinguished from butterflyfish by the presence of strong
preopercle spines (part of the gill covers) in the former. This
feature also explains the family name Pomacanthidae; from the
Greek poma meaning "cover" and akantha meaning "thorn".
Many species of marine angelfishes have streamer-like
extensions of the soft dorsal and anal fins. The fish have small
mouths, relatively large pectoral fins and rounded to lunate tail
fins. The largest species, the gray angelfish, Pomacanthus
arcuatus, may reach a length of 60 cm; at the other extreme,
members of the genus Centropyge do not exceed 15 cm. A
length of 20 to 30 cm is average for the rest of the family. The
smaller species are popular amongst aquarists, whereas the
largest species are occasionally sought as a food fish; however,
there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning as a result of
eating marine angelfish.
The larger species are also quite bold and seemingly fearless;
they are known to approach divers. While the majority adapt
easily to captive life, some are specialist feeders which are
difficult to maintain. Feeding habits can be strictly defined
through genus, with Genicanthus species feeding on zooplankton
and Centropyge preferring filamentous algae. Other species
focus on sessile benthic invertebrates; sponges, tunicates,
bryozoans, and hydroids are staples.
Most marine angelfishes restrict themselves to the shallows of
the reef, seldom venturing deeper than 50 m. The recently
described Centropyge abei is known to inhabit depths of 150 m.
They are diurnal animals, hiding amongst the nooks and crevices
of the reef by night. Some species are solitary in nature and form
highly territorial mated pairs; others form harems with a single
male dominant over several females. As juveniles, some species
may eke out a living as cleaner fish.
Common to many species is a dramatic shift in coloration
associated with maturity. For example, young male ornate
angelfish, Genicanthus bellus, have broad, black bands and are
indistinguishable from females; as they mature, bright orange
bands develop on the flanks and back. Thought to correspond to
social rank, these colour shifts are not necessarily confined to
males; all marine angelfish species are known to be protogynous
hermaphrodites. This means that if the dominant male of a
harem is removed, a female will turn into a functional male.
As pelagic spawners, marine angelfishes release many tiny
buoyant eggs into the water which then become part of the
plankton. The eggs float freely with the currents until hatching, a
high number falling victim to planktonic feeders.
Queen angelfish, possibly the most beautiful species of
angelfish, grows to be 45 cm. With neon blue and yellow scales,
with iridescent purple and orange markings, surprisingly it is not
conspicuous, and actually hides very well, and is very shy.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian,
and mostly western Pacific oceans. The family contains seven
genera and approximately 86 species. They should not be
confused with the freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the
Amazon River basin.
With their vibrant colours and deep, laterally compressed bodies,
marine angelfishes are some of the more conspicuous residents
of the reef. They most closely resemble the butterflyfishes, a
related family of similarly showy reef fish. Marine angelfish are
distinguished from butterflyfish by the presence of strong
preopercle spines (part of the gill covers) in the former. This
feature also explains the family name Pomacanthidae; from the
Greek poma meaning "cover" and akantha meaning "thorn".
Many species of marine angelfishes have streamer-like
extensions of the soft dorsal and anal fins. The fish have small
mouths, relatively large pectoral fins and rounded to lunate tail
fins. The largest species, the gray angelfish, Pomacanthus
arcuatus, may reach a length of 60 cm; at the other extreme,
members of the genus Centropyge do not exceed 15 cm. A
length of 20 to 30 cm is average for the rest of the family. The
smaller species are popular amongst aquarists, whereas the
largest species are occasionally sought as a food fish; however,
there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning as a result of
eating marine angelfish.
The larger species are also quite bold and seemingly fearless;
they are known to approach divers. While the majority adapt
easily to captive life, some are specialist feeders which are
difficult to maintain. Feeding habits can be strictly defined
through genus, with Genicanthus species feeding on zooplankton
and Centropyge preferring filamentous algae. Other species
focus on sessile benthic invertebrates; sponges, tunicates,
bryozoans, and hydroids are staples.
Most marine angelfishes restrict themselves to the shallows of
the reef, seldom venturing deeper than 50 m. The recently
described Centropyge abei is known to inhabit depths of 150 m.
They are diurnal animals, hiding amongst the nooks and crevices
of the reef by night. Some species are solitary in nature and form
highly territorial mated pairs; others form harems with a single
male dominant over several females. As juveniles, some species
may eke out a living as cleaner fish.
Common to many species is a dramatic shift in coloration
associated with maturity. For example, young male ornate
angelfish, Genicanthus bellus, have broad, black bands and are
indistinguishable from females; as they mature, bright orange
bands develop on the flanks and back. Thought to correspond to
social rank, these colour shifts are not necessarily confined to
males; all marine angelfish species are known to be protogynous
hermaphrodites. This means that if the dominant male of a
harem is removed, a female will turn into a functional male.
As pelagic spawners, marine angelfishes release many tiny
buoyant eggs into the water which then become part of the
plankton. The eggs float freely with the currents until hatching, a
high number falling victim to planktonic feeders.
Queen angelfish, possibly the most beautiful species of
angelfish, grows to be 45 cm. With neon blue and yellow scales,
with iridescent purple and orange markings, surprisingly it is not
conspicuous, and actually hides very well, and is very shy.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
