French angelfish

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French angelfish
Beauty and Brains (8457803488).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Pomacanthus
Species:
P. paru
Binomial name
Pomacanthus paru
(Bloch, 1787)
French Angelfish range.jpg
Range
Synonyms [2]
  • Chaetodon paruBloch, 1787
  • Chaetodon aureusBloch, 1787
  • Pomacanthus aureus(Bloch, 1787)

Pomacanthus paru, also known by its common name the French angelfish, is a slow growing [3] coral reef fish from the Caribbean. The species is of the family Pomacanthidae, which contains other species of marine angelfish. [4] Its closest relative is the grey angelfish (P. arcuatus). [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

The French angelfish was first formally described as Chaetodon paru by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) with the type locality given as Brazil and Jamaica. [6] The species is placed by some authorities in the subgenus Pomacanthus,. The specific name of this species, paru is the Portuguese name for this species. [7]

Description

In Honduras French Angelfish, 8C44 87F, West End, Bay Islands, Honduras imported from iNaturalist photo 349322691.jpg
In Honduras

The French angelfish has a deep but vertically compressed body, making it appear flattened from the front. [8] The head is deep, with a short snout that ends in a small mouth containing numerous bristle-like teeth. There is an obvious spine at the corner of the preoperculum while there are no spines on the operculum or under the eye. [9] The dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 29–31 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 22–24 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 41.1 centimetres (16.2 in). [2] Males grow to around 18in (45cm), while females reach a slightly smaller size. [10]

Both males and females have a black or dark gray body that contrasts with the bright yellow tips of their scales on most of their body. They have a white mouth and a yellow orbit. The pectoral fins have a wide orange-yellow band and the dorsal fin has a long yellow filamentous extension growing from its soft-rayed part. [11] Juvenile French angelfish have different markings from adults. Juveniles are almost completely black apart from five vertical yellow bands, that run down the entire height of their body, the first around the mouth and the last at the caudal peduncle.[ citation needed ]

Distribution

French angelfish can be found in the western Atlantic from Florida to the Gulf of Mexico and down towards Brazil and the Caribbean, [12] including the Antilles, Roatan, and the eastern Atlantic from around Ascension Island and St. Paul's Rocks. [2] These fish can be seen in water depths above about 15ft, or about 4.5m, [8] and they have also been reported at depths within the mesophotic zone, which is between 30m and 150m, or about 100ft - 500ft. [12]

Feeding

Juvenile french angelfish cleaning great barracuda (4686887326).jpg
French Angelfish, Flamingo Airport, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles imported from iNaturalist photo 168294773.jpg
Juvenile cleaning a great barracuda (top) and a yellowfin mojarra (bottom)

French angelfish live in and around coral reefs and rocky shores. As adults, these fish primarily feed on sponges with around 70% of their diet consisting of sponges. [4] The comb-like teeth of adults [13] help to grind up pieces of sponges. In contrast, juvenile French angelfish feed by consuming ectoparasites on larger fishes. [14] [15] As a result, juveniles spend a huge portion of their time at or near their cleaning stations.[ citation needed ]

As juvenile French angelfish grow in size, they become more generalist when it comes to species of sponge they eat, eating around twelve to fifteen sponge species, which is similar to their adult diet. [4] This shows there is a direct relationship between the size of the juvenile and how much sponges contribute to their diet, with large juveniles eating more sponges than smaller juveniles. [4]

Juvenile cleaning stations

Like juveniles of some other angelfish species, [16] [17] juvenile French angelfish are well documented cleaner fish; many larger fish species allow or implore them them to approach to feed on ectoparasites, mucus, dead tissue, and other undesirable particles. [17]

In the Caribbean, certain patches of the ocean floor may be used by young green sea turtles as "cleaning stations". At such cleaning stations, multiple species of cleaner fish of varying families coexist and provide cleaning services to the turtles as well other fish that seek cleaning services. At these stations, juvenile P. paru primarily clean the sea turtles’ heads, carapace, and plastron. [16]

Biology

French angelfish are common on rocky and coral reefs where it is normally encountered in pairs, frequently in the vicinity of sea fans. Its diet comprises sponges, [4] algae, bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians, hydroids, coral [18] and tunicates. These pairs are highly territorial, and typically both vigorously defending their territory from their neighbours. Juveniles act as cleaner fish and establish cleaning stations. Species recorded as being clients of juvenile French angelfish, include jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes and wrasses. [1] [2] These fish are active during the daylight hours, but seek shelter in their designated hiding spot where they return every night. [19] They can produce a knocking sound when alarmed. [20]

In many fish species, the age of an individual can be estimated by analyzing its otoliths. In French angelfish, an opaque band forms on the sagittae otolith with every year of growth. A 2016 study of French angelfish otoliths found that the oldest specimen in the study was 27 years old. [3]

French Angelfish, Othon P. Blanco, MX-QR, MX imported from iNaturalist photo 177981750 (cropped).jpg
French Angelfish, 710 Coral Hill Road Belmont, Leonards, British Virgin Islands imported from iNaturalist photo 231383733 (cropped).jpg
French Angelfish, Candyland Reef, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands imported from iNaturalist photo 168852075 (cropped).jpg
French Angelfish, Cuba imported from iNaturalist photo 61807393 (cropped).jpg
Pez angel frances (cropped 2).jpg
French Angelfish, Klein Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands imported from iNaturalist photo 109333925 (cropped).jpg
French Angelfish, Arraial do Cabo, RJ, 28930-000, Brasil imported from iNaturalist photo 107515491 (cropped).jpg
French Angelfish, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 288888354 (cropped).png
Growth series (from youngest to oldest)

Parasites

In a captive specimen in Georgia, researchers found endoparasites (parasites that live within the host body) of the genus Enterogyrus on its foregut wall. The way in which these parasites attach themselves to their host was unusual, as the parasites attached themselves perpendicularly to the folds in the foregut. [21]

Reproduction

In French angelfish, there are no obvious courtship displays or clear sexual dimorphism between the sexes. The species forms monogamous pairs, [10] [22] , unlike its closest relative, the grey angelfish, which mates in polygamous groups. [22] [5]

Little is known about the mating patterns of P. paru, with it rarely being observed. From what has been observed, the fish, in mating pairs, would swim up the water column, with one in front and one directly behind the other. [22]

This reproductive mating behavior has only ever been reported to occur right around sunset, or dusk. [22] At dusk, the pair swim upwards in a wide, shallow curve from the substrate, travelling around 7 to 10 m horizontally as they climb to a 2 or 3 m (6 ft 7 in or 9 ft 10 in). As they ascend, both angle their bodies slightly, with their vents very close together, even touching. They hold this posture throughout the zenith of their curve separating as they descend. Neighbouring pairs were observed undertaking similar movements above the reef at roughly the same time. The observers were unable to ascertain if gametes were released in these displays. Neighbouring pairs were not seen interfering with these displays. [2] This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite; the female can change sex to become a male if no male is present. [20]

Although French angelfish are sympatric with the closely related grey angelfish [22] , the two species have never been observed to produce hybrid offspring in nature, or even forming mixed groups or pairs. Conversely, grey angelfish may aggressively chase French angelfish. It is hypothesized that this is due to behavioural incompatibility; during agonistic approaches by conspecifics, grey angelfish respond by grouping with them, while French angelfish either continue their aggression or flee. [22]

However, the viability of a hybrid cross between French and grey angelfish has been proven within a laboratory setting; by artificially extracting and mixing gametes, such hybrids were produced in 1976. It was discovered that the juveniles of the resulting artificial hybrids were not clearly distinguishable from juvenile grey angelfish, and as such if natural hybrids did exist, they would not be easy to identify at least as juveniles. [22] [23]

Conservation

According to the IUCN red list of endangered animal species, the French angelfish is currently listed as least concern. However, it is very possible that in the coming years this fish species moves from least concern [24] to near threatened or even vulnerable. This is in large part due to the marine pet trade, also known as the marine ornamental trade. In Brazil alone, the French angelfish is the fifth most exported in the Brazilian fish trade. In addition, French angelfish are also caught as bycatch. [10]

The longevity of large-bodied pomacanthids, their slow growth, their late sexual maturity, along with heavy exploitation of them from the aquarium trade, [10] puts French angelfish and related species at risk of becoming more endangered from human impacts, as the slow rate by which these fish reproduce means they cannot quickly replenish their population.

Importance to humans

The French angelfish is common in the aquarium trade, collection and export to the United States and European markets being common in Brazil. It has been bred in captivity. [1] It is harvested for food, its flesh being considered highly palatable, although it has been reported to be a source of ciguatera poisoning in humans. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomacanthidae</span> Family of fishes

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 about 86 species. They should not be confused with the freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the Amazon Basin.

<i>Pomacanthus</i> Genus of fishes

Pomacanthus is a genus of marine angelfish that is usually found around reefs and coral. Some of the notable places one can see these vari-coloured fish includes the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Sipidan off the southern coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Generally the patterns and colors of these fish undergo a major transformation from juvenile to adult forms. The juveniles may even appear to be a different species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emperor angelfish</span> Species of fish

The emperor angelfish is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite of photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluering angelfish</span> Species of fish

The bluering angelfish, also known as the annularis angelfish and the blue king angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is member of the genus Pomacanthus, composed of large marine angelfish.

<i>Holacanthus bermudensis</i> Species of fish

Holacanthus bermudensis, also known as the blue angelfish or Bermuda blue angelfish, is a species of ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock beauty</span> Species of fish

The rock beauty, also known as corn sugar, coshubba, rock beasty, catalineta, and yellow nanny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray angelfish</span> Species of fish

The gray angelfish, also written as grey angelfish and known in Jamaica as the pot cover, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the marine angelfish family, Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen angelfish</span> Species of marine angelfish

The queen angelfish, also known as the blue angelfish, golden angelfish, or yellow angelfish, is a species of marine angelfish found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a benthic warm-water species that lives in coral reefs. It is recognized by its blue and yellow coloration and a distinctive spot or "crown" on its forehead. This crown distinguishes it from the closely related and similar-looking Bermuda blue angelfish, with which it overlaps in range and can interbreed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixbar angelfish</span> Species of fish

The sixbar angelfish, also known as the six banded angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Holacanthus passer</i> Species of fish

Holacanthus passer is a large reef dwelling marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae.

<i>Pomacanthus asfur</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus asfur, the Arabian angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Indian Ocean.

<i>Pomacanthus maculosus</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus maculosus, the yellowbar angelfish, half-moon angelfish, yellow-marked angelfish, yellowband angelfish or yellow-blotched angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean and, more recently, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Pomacanthus zonipectus</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus zonipectus, the Cortez angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is from the Eastern Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

<i>Pomacanthus semicirculatus</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus semicirculatus, also known as the semicircled angelfish, Koran angelfish, blue angelfish, zebra angelfish or half-circled angelfish, is a species of ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish, in the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

<i>Pomacanthus navarchus</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus navarchus, the blue-girdled angelfish or majestic angelfish, is a marine angelfish from the Indo-Pacific region. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. P. navarchus is one of the smallest of the larger species of angelfish. It grows to a maximum length of 28 centimetres (11 in), but is usually much smaller than this, and can live to be up to 21 years old. Younger fish stay closer to the shallows, but the more mature fish can be found up to 120 feet (37 m) deep. Majestic angelfish eat mainly sponges and tunicates. Juvenile fish are mostly blue in color with white stripes. As they mature, they take on a yellow coloration on the flanks, dorsal fin, and tail.

<i>Chaetodontoplus meridithii</i> Species of fish

Chaetodontoplus meridithii, the Queensland yellowtail angelfish, Meredith's angelfish or yellow-finned angelfish, yellowtail angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found off eastern Australia.

<i>Apolemichthys xanthurus</i> Species of fish

Apolemichthys xanthurus, the Indian yellowtail angelfish, is a species of marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. Other common names include cream angelfish, smoke angelfish, and yellowtail black angelfish. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Pomacanthus xanthometopon</i> Species of fish

Pomacanthus xanthometopon is a marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae found in shallow parts of the Indo-Pacific. It is commonly known as the blueface angelfish or the yellowface angelfish because of its striking facial colouration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldtail angelfish</span> Species of fish

The goldtail angelfish, also known as the earspot angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old woman angelfish</span> Species of fish

The old woman angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pyle, R.; Myers, R.F.; Rocha, L.A.; Craig, M.T. (2010). "Pomacanthus paru". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165898A6160204. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165898A6160204.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pomacanthus paru". FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 Feitosa, C. V.; Araújo, M. E.; Ferreira, B. P. (June 2017). "Estimates on age, growth and mortality of the French angelfish Pomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae) in the southwestern Atlantic". Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 33 (3): 409–414. doi: 10.1111/jai.13246 .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Andréa, B. R.; Batista, D.; Sampaio, C. L. (2007). "Spongivory by juvenile angelfish (Pomacanthidae) in Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil". Porifera Research Biodiversity, Innovation and Sustainability: 131–137 – via ResearchGate.
  5. 1 2 Hodge, Jennifer R.; Read, Charmaine I.; Bellwood, David R.; van Herwerden, Lynne (2013). "Evolution of sympatric species: a case study of the coral reef fish genus omacanthus (Pomacanthidae)". Journal of Biogeography. 40 (9): 1676–1687. doi:10.1111/jbi.12124. ISSN   1365-2699.
  6. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pomacanthus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (21 July 2020). "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 1): Families LOBOTIDAE, POMACANTHIDAE, DREPANEIDAE and CHAETODONTIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Pomacanthus paru". Discover Fishes. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  9. ↑ "Species: Pomacanthus paru, French angelfish". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Feitosa, Caroline Vieira; Marques, Simone; Araújo, Maria Elisabeth de; Ferreira, Beatrice Padovani (2015-08-06). "Reproduction of French angelfish Pomacanthus paru (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae) and implications for management of the ornamental fish trade in Brazil". Marine and Freshwater Research. 67 (5): 586–593. doi:10.1071/MF14386. ISSN   1448-6059.
  11. ↑ "Pomacanthus paru". Saltcorner!. Bob Goemans. 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  12. 1 2 de Oliveira Soares, Marcelo; Davis, Marcus; de Paiva, Carolina Cerqueira; de Macêdo Carneiro, Pedro Bastos (2018-09-01). "Mesophotic ecosystems: coral and fish assemblages in a tropical marginal reef (northeastern Brazil)". Marine Biodiversity. 48 (3): 1631–1636. doi:10.1007/s12526-016-0615-x. ISSN   1867-1624.
  13. ↑ "French Angelfish". Lamar.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  14. ↑ Batista, Daniela; Muricy, Guilherme Ramos da Silva; Andréa, Barbara Rustum; Villaça, Roberto Campos (September 2012). "High intraspecific variation in the diet of the french angelfish Pomacanthus paru in the south-western Atlantic". Brazilian Journal of Oceanography. 60 (3): 449–454. doi:10.1590/S1679-87592012000300015. ISSN   1679-8759.
  15. ↑ Sazima, Ivan; Moura, Rodrigo L.; Sazima, Cristina (December 1999). "Cleaning Activity of Juvenile Angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, on the Reefs of the Abrolhos Archipelago, Western South Atlantic". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 56 (4): 399–407. doi:10.1023/A:1007531925845. ISSN   0378-1909.
  16. 1 2 Michael, Jessica A.; Jobsis, Paul (2024-06-28). "Observations at a green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, cleaning station identify three cleaning fish symbionts". Marine Biodiversity. 54 (4): 58. doi:10.1007/s12526-024-01452-6. ISSN   1867-1624.
  17. 1 2 Quimbayo, J. P.; Schlickmann, O. R. C.; Floeter, S. R.; Sazima, I. (July 2018). "Cleaning interactions at the southern limit of tropical reef fishes in the Western Atlantic". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 101 (7): 1195–1204. doi:10.1007/s10641-018-0768-5. ISSN   0378-1909.
  18. ↑ "Pomacanthus paru (French Angelfish)". Animal Diversity Web .
  19. ↑ Globe Rover. "French Angelfish". Globe Rove. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  20. 1 2 "Pomacanthus paru". reefapp.net. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  21. ↑ Cone, D. K.; Gratzek, J. B.; Hoffman, G. L. (1987-02-01). "A study of Enterogyrus sp. (Monogenea) parasitizing the foregut of captive Pomacanthus paru (Pomacanthidae) in Georgia". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 65 (2): 312–316. doi:10.1139/z87-048. ISSN   0008-4301.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Moyer, Jack T.; Thresher, Ronald E.; Colin, Patrick L. (1983-05-01). "Courtship, spawning and inferred social organization of American angelfishes (Genera Pomacanthus, Holacanthus and Centropyge; pomacanthidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 9 (1): 25–39. doi:10.1007/BF00001056. ISSN   1573-5133.
  23. ↑ Pyle, Richard L.; Randall, John E. (November 1994). "A review of hybridization in marine angelfishes (Perciformes: Pomacanthidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 41 (1–4): 127–145. doi:10.1007/BF00023809. ISSN   0378-1909.
  24. ↑ Gurjão, Lívio Moreira de; Lotufo, Tito Monteiro da Cruz (2018-07-19). "Native species exploited by marine aquarium trade in Brazil". Biota Neotropica. 18 (3): e20170387. doi:10.1590/1676-0611-BN-2017-0387. ISSN   1676-0611.
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