Pomacanthus xanthometopon | |
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At Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Acanthuriformes |
Family: | Pomacanthidae |
Genus: | Pomacanthus |
Species: | P. xanthometopon |
Binomial name | |
Pomacanthus xanthometopon | |
Synonyms [3] | |
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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.
Pomacanthus xanthometopon grows to a maximum length of 38 centimetres (15 in) and is laterally compressed. The mouth is just above the tip of the snout. The fins are large and rounded and are yellow, some edged with blue round the margins. The dorsal fin is set just in front of the caudal region, has a distinctive black eyespot at the base and has 13–14 spines and 16–18 soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 16–18 soft rays. The scales are pale blue edged with yellow giving a reticulated pattern. The face is yellow with a dense network of brilliant blue lines on the bottom half and a plain yellow mask around the eyes. Juveniles are quite differently coloured with 6 vertical white bars separated by pale blue lines and a caudal fin barred in 2 shades of blue. The juveniles change colour gradually after reaching a length of 7 to 12 centimetres (2.8 to 4.7 in). [3] [4] This species can be confused with the queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) or the blue angelfish (Holacanthus bermudensis), but both these have a completely blue face and lack the caudal eyespot. [4]
Pomacanthus xanthometopon is found on coral reefs in the eastern part of the tropical Indo-Pacific. Its range includes the Maldive Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, northern Australia and Micronesia. It has occasionally been observed off the coast of Florida. [4] It favours lagoons, outer reef slopes and channels at depths down to about 25 metres (82 ft) and is often found among rocks and near caves. The juveniles frequently live inside caves. [3]
Pomacanthus xanthometopon usually lives singly or in pairs and feeds on tunicates, sponges, other encrusting organisms and algae. [4] It is an egg-laying species and scatters its eggs on the seabed. [5]
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers the yellowface angelfish of least concern because it is common over most of its wide range and has no major threats. [1]
Pomacanthus xanthometopon was first formally described in 1853 as Holocanthus xanthometopon by the Dutch ichthyologist and herpetologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878) with the type locality given as Telok betong, Sumatra in Indonesia. [6] The species is placed by some authorities in the subgenus Euxiphipops,. The specific name of this species, xantometopon means "yellow forehead", a reference to the yellow "mask" across its eyes. [7]
Pomacanthus xanthometopon is uncommon in the aquarium trade, those specimens which make their way into that trade are usually traded through dealers in the Philippines and Singapore. [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 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.
Pomacanthus paru, also known by its common name the French angelfish, is a slow growing coral reef fish from the tropics with a distinctive and striking appearance. In terms of fish taxonomy, French Angelfish fall under the fish order of Perciformes and under the family Pomacanthidae, which contains other species of marine angelfish. The closest relative of the French Angelfish is the Gray angelfish, or Pomacanthus arcuatus.
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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The orangeface angelfish, also known as the blue vermiculate angelfish or maze 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 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.
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.
Genicanthus melanospilos, the spotbreast angelfish, blackspot angelfish or swallowtail angelfish, the family Pomacanthidae. It occurs in the Indo-West Pacific region.
The Clarion angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, almost exclusively near islands off the Pacific coast of Mexico.
The Clipperton angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is endemic to Clipperton Island, a French possession in the eastern Pacific Ocean.