Pomacanthus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous to Present [1] | |
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Gray angelfish, Pomacanthus arcuatus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Pomacanthidae |
Genus: | Pomacanthus Lacépède, 1802 |
Type species | |
Chaetodon arcuatus | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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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.
The following 13 species are classified within the genus Pomacanthus: [3]
Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
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Pomacanthus annularis (Bloch, 1787). | Bluering angelfish, | the Indo-West Pacific oceans from East Africa, throughout Indonesia and New Guinea to New Caledonia, north to southern Japan. | |
Pomacanthus arcuatus (Linnaeus, 1758). | Gray angelfish, | western Atlantic from New England to the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and also the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean, including the Antilles | |
Pomacanthus asfur (Forsskål, 1775). | Arabian angelfish, | the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to Zanzibar. It can be found also in the Persian Gulf. | |
Pomacanthus chrysurus (Cuvier, 1831). | Goldtail angelfish, | western Indian Ocean (South Africa including Comoros, Seychelles and Madagascar) | |
Pomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787). | Emperor angelfish, | the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. | |
Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775). | Yellowbar angelfish, | the Persian Gulf, the northwestern Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea | |
Pomacanthus navarchus (Cuvier, 1831). | Blue-girdled angelfish, | the Indo-Pacific region | |
Pomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787). | French angelfish, | western Atlantic from New York and the Bahamas to Brazil, and also the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, including the Antilles, Roatan, and the eastern Atlantic from around Ascension Island and St. Paul's Rocks | |
Pomacanthus rhomboides (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908). | Old woman angelfish, | western Indian Ocean | |
Pomacanthus semicirculatus (Cuvier, 1831). | Semicircle angelfish, | east coast of Africa to Fiji and Japan, the east coast of Australia and New Caledonia. | |
Pomacanthus sexstriatus (Cuvier, 1831). | Sixbar angelfish, | South Pacific reefs, most commonly the Great Barrier Reef of Australia's north-east coast | |
Pomacanthus xanthometopon (Bleeker, 1853). | Yellowface angelfish, Blueface angelfish, | Maldive Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, northern Australia and Micronesia | |
Pomacanthus zonipectus (Gill, 1862). | Cortez angelfish, | Eastern Pacific | |
The genus Pomacanthus was created in 1802 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756-1825) with the type species being designated as Chaetodon arcuatus. [2] The name is a compound of poma meaning"lid" and acanthus which means "thorn", a reference to the prominents spine on the rear margin of the operculum, a feature shared by all the marine angelfishes. [4]
Some authorities divide the genus up into the following subgenera: [4]
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 cherubfish, also known as the pygmy angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
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.
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.
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.
Genicanthus is a genus of marine angelfishes in the family Pomacanthidae. Known commonly as swallowtail or lyretail angelfish, these fishes are so-named for the distinctive shape of their tailfins. This genus of angels, in comparison to the other species found in hobby aquaria, are a good choice for beginners as they do not get nearly as large as some of the others. Another unique attribute is that swallowtail angels will tolerate each other and can be kept in pairs or as a single male with a harem, though it is typically best to add them to a tank at the same time. If added on by one, the angel which is added first may become aggressively territorial towards any new additions. Unlike others in the family Pomocanthidae, the angelfish species in the genus Genicanthus are generally considered to be reef safe. Also unlike most other members of the Pomacanthidae, those in Genicanthus are sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females are easily distinguishable. Fish in this species possess a small mouth relative to its size. This small mouth is well adapted for feeding on plankton in the water column. As planktivores, members of Genicanthus generally will not nip corals and sessile invertebrates.
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.
The gray angelfish, outside American English it is known as the grey angelfish and in Jamaica as the pot cover, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
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.
The banded angelfish, also known as the bandit angelfish and three spine angelfish, is a distinctive species ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is endemic to deeper reefs in Hawaii and the Johnston Atoll.
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.
Centropyge heraldi, the yellow angelfish or Herald's angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It comes from the Pacific Ocean that sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Centropyge tibicen, the keyhole angelfish, black angelfish, whitespot angelfish or puller 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 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 fisheri, the orange angelfish, whitetail angelfish, damsel angelfish, yellowtail angelfish, Hawaiian flame angelfish, Fisher’s angelfish, Fisher’s dwarf angelfish or Fisher’s pygmy 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 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.
Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis, the blue-striped angelfish and bluelined 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.
Apolemichthys xanthotis, the yellow-ear angelfish or Red Sea angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae.
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