| Genicanthus melanospilos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genicanthus melanospilos | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Pomacanthidae |
| Genus: | Genicanthus |
| Species: | G. melanospilos |
| Binomial name | |
| Genicanthus melanospilos (Bleeker, 1857) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Genicanthus melanospilos, the spotbreast angelfish, blackspot angelfish or swallowtail angelfish, the family Pomacanthidae. It occurs in the Indo-West Pacific region.
Genicanthus melanospilos shows sexual dichromatism, the males and females have differing colouration. The males have a background colour of bluish white on the body with many reddish black vertical stripes. Their dorsal, caudal and anal fins are marked with yellow spots and the caudal fin is light yellow with blue margins and has long filamentous lobes. They also have a sizeable black spot on the breast near the base of the pelvic fins. [3] In the females the dorsal half of the body is yellow, while ventrally it is bluish white, and the tail is bluish with a black stripe along its lower and upper margins. In both sexes the forked tail narrows at its base to create a “swallow tail”. [4] The dorsal fin contains 15 spines and 15-17 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17-18 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in). [2]
Genicanthus melanospilos is a widespread species which is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is found throughout the Malay Archipelago into the southwestern Pacific Ocean as Far East as Fiji, north as far as the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia. [1] In Australian waters it is found in the Indian Ocean of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island, as well as the Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea and the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns in Queensland . [3]
Genicanthus melanospilos is found at depths between 20 and 80 metres (66 and 262 ft). [1] It occurs in areas rich in coral on the outer slopes of reefs and drop-offs. Adults are normally organised as small harems made up of a male and several females. They feed on zooplankton in the water over reefs. [3] Like all other angelfish the spotbreast angelfish is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with all individuals being female initially and the dominant ones changing to males. [5]
Genicanthus melanospilos was first formally described in 1857 as Holocanthus melanospilos by the Dutch ichthyologist and herpetologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878) with the type locality given as Ambon Island in Indonesia. [6] The specific name is a compound of melanos meaning “black” and spills meaning “spot”, referring to the black spot on the male's chest. [7]
Genicanthus melanospilos is common in the aquarium trade. [1]
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.
The lemonpeel angelfish, also known as the yellow angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Japanese angelfish or Japanese pygmy angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.
Genicanthus watanabei, the blackedged angelfish or Watanabe’s angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean.
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.
Centropyge eibli, the blacktail angelfish, red stripe angelfish, orangelined angelfish, or Eibl dwarf angel is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found near reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
Genicanthus bellus, the ornate angelfish, bellus angelfish or bellus lyretail angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Genicanthus semifasciatus, the Japanese swallow, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish, belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Pacific.
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.
Centropyge multicolor, the multicolor angelfish or pearlback angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is from the Pacific Ocean that sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 9 cm in length.
Genicanthus lamarck, the blackstriped angelfish or Lamarck's angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It occurs in the Indo-West Pacific region.
Centropyge vrolikii, known commonly as the pearlscale angelfish or half black angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific.
Centropyge abei is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a small marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.
Golden angelfish, also known as golden pygmy angelfish or velvet dwarf angel, is a small marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It inhabits shallow reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.
Genicanthus personatus the masked angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is endemic to Hawaii.
Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus, the vermiculated angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region.
Genicanthus caudovittatus, the zebra angelfish, swallowtail angelfish, and lyretail angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.
Genicanthus takeuchii, the spotted angelfish or Takeuchi’s angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean
The halfbanded angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
The Pitcairn angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
