Queen angelfish

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Queen angelfish
Queen Angelfish.jpg
Adult
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Holacanthus
Species:
H. ciliaris
Binomial name
Holacanthus ciliaris
QueenAngelfish distribution.png
Range of the queen angelfish
Synonyms [2]
  • Chaetodon ciliarisLinnaeus, 1758
  • Angelichthys ciliaris(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Chaetodon squamulosus Shaw, 1796
  • Chaetodon parrae Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Holacanthus coronatus Desmarest, 1823
  • Holacanthus formosus Castelnau, 1855
  • Holacanthus iodocus Jordan & Rutter, 1897
  • Angelichthys iodocus(Jordan & Rutter, 1897)
  • Holacanthus lunatus Blosser, 1909

The queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), 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 (ocean floor) 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 ( Holacanthus bermudensis ), with which it overlaps in range and can interbreed.

Contents

Adult queen angelfish are selective feeders and primarily eat sponges. Their social structure consists of harems which include one male and up to four females. They live within a territory where the females forage separately and are tended to by the male. Breeding in the species occurs near a full moon. The transparent eggs float in the water until they hatch. Juveniles of the species have different coloration than adults and act as cleaner fish.

The queen angelfish is popular in the aquarium trade and has been a particularly common exported species from Brazil. In 2010, the queen angelfish was assessed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as the wild population appeared to be stable.

Taxonomy

The queen angelfish was first described as Chaetodon ciliaris in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae, with the type locality given as the "Western Atlantic/Caribbean". [3] In 1802 it was moved by French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède to the genus Holacanthus , [4] the name of which is derived from the Ancient Greek words "holos" (full) and "akantha" (thorn). [2] Its specific name ciliaris means "fringed", a reference to its squamis ciliatis ("ciliate scales"). [5] Other common names for the species include "blue angelfish", "golden angelfish" and "yellow angelfish". [6]

Marine angelfish of the genus Holacanthus likely emerged between 10.2 and 7.6 million years ago (mya). The most basal species is the Guinean angelfish ( Holacanthus africanus ) off the coast of West Africa, indicating that the lineage colonized the Atlantic from the Indian Ocean. [7] The closure of the Isthmus of Panama 3.5–3.1 mya led to the splitting off of the Tropical Eastern Pacific species. [8] The closest relative and sister species of the queen angelfish is the sympatric and similar Bermuda blue angelfish ( H. bermudensis ), from which it split around 1.5 mya. [7] [8] They are known to interbreed, producing a hybrid known as the Townsend angelfish [9] which has features similar to both parent species. [10] The Townsend angelfish is fertile, and individuals can breed both with each other and with the two parent species. [11]

The following cladogram is based on molecular evidence: [7] [8] [12]

Townsend angelfish, a hybrid of queen and Bermuda blue angelfish Townsend Angelfish hybrid.jpg
Townsend angelfish, a hybrid of queen and Bermuda blue angelfish
Holacanthus

Rock beauty Holacanthus tricolor 1 (cropped).jpg

Bermuda blue angelfish Bermuda blue angelfish (cropped).jpg

Queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris 10 (cropped).jpg

Clarion angelfish Clarion angelfish (Holacanthus clarionensis) (19185438555) (cropped).jpg

Clipperton angelfish Holacanthus limbaughi.jpg

King angelfish Holacanthus passer 1.jpg

Guinean angelfish Holacanthus africanus.jpg

Description

With "crown" visible Queen Angelfish Crown symbol.jpg
With "crown" visible

The queen angelfish has a broad, flattened, oval-shaped body with triangular tail fin, a reduced, dulled snout and a small mouth containing bristle-like teeth. [13] [6] The dorsal fin contains 14 spines and 19–21 soft rays, and the anal fin has 3 spines and 20–21 soft rays. [2] The dorsal and anal fins both dangle behind the body. [6] This species attains a maximum total length of 45 cm (18 in) and weight of 1,600 g (56 oz). [2] [6] Males may be larger than females. [14] [15]

The species is covered in yellow-tipped blue-green scales, with a bright yellow tail, pectoral and pelvic fins. Both the dorsal and anal fins have orange-yellow end points, while the pectoral fins have blue patches at the base. [14] On the forehead is an eye-like spot or "crown" that is cobalt blue with an electric blue outer ring and dotted with electric blue spots. [2] [6] [14] This crown is the main feature distinguishing the species from the Bermuda blue angelfish. Juveniles are dark blue with bright blue vertical stripes and a yellow pectoral area. They resemble juvenile blue angelfish and are distinguished by more curved vertical stripes. [6] Growing juveniles develop transitional patterns as they reach their adult coloration. [14]

Juvenile closer to adult coloration Juvenile Queen Angelfish.jpg
Juvenile closer to adult coloration

Seven other color morphs have been recorded off the coast of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil. The most commonly recorded is a mostly gold or bright orange morph. Other morphs may be bright blue with some yellow, black or white coloration or even all white. [16] Another color morph was recorded off Dry Tortugas, Florida, in 2009. This fish was mostly cobalt blue with white and yellow-orange colored areas. [17]

There are records of at least two wild queen angelfish at St. Peter and St. Paul with a "pughead" skeletal deformity, a squashed upper jaw and a lower jaw that sticks out. Such deformities mostly occur in captive fish. [18]

Ecology

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, Florida Queen angelfish at their habitat.jpg
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, Florida

Queen angelfish are found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Western Atlantic Ocean around the coasts and islands of the Americas. They occur from Florida along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea down to Brazil. Their range extends as far east as Bermuda and the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. [1] [6] Queen angelfish are benthic or bottom-dwelling and occur from shallow waters close to shore down to 70 m (230 ft). They live in coral reefs, preferring soft corals, and swim either alone or in pairs. [6]

Queen angelfish eat sponges, tunicates, jellyfish, corals, plankton, and algae. Juveniles act as cleaner fish and establish and remove ectoparasites from bigger fish. [6] Off St. Thomas Island and Salvador, Bahia, 90% of the diet of adults is sponges. Off the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, more than 30 prey species may be consumed, 68% being sponges, 25% being algae, and 5% being bryozoans. Queen angelfish appear to be selective feeders as the proportion of prey in their diet does not correlate with their abundance. On the species level, the angelfish of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago target the less common sponges Geodia neptuni, Erylus latens, Clathria calla, and Asteropus niger. [19]

Life cycle

Belize Belize 2016 - yP2010013 batch.jpg
Belize

Male queen angelfish have large territories with a harem of two to four females. [15] Little is known about the sexual development of the species, though they are presumed to be protogynous hermaphrodites. The largest harem female may transform into a male if the territorial male disappears. [11] Around midday, the females forage individually in different locations. The male tends to each of them, rushing at, circling, and feeding next to them. [15] Spawning in this species occurs year-round. [20] It is observed sometime around a full moon. [15]

Courtship involves the male showing his side to the female and flick his pectoral fins at her or "soaring" above them. At the beginning of spawning, the female swims towards the surface with the male swimming under her with his snout pressing against her vent. [15] They then deposit their eggs and semen into the water. The female discharges between 25 and 75 thousand eggs a day. [6] After spawning, the pair split and head to back to the ocean floor. [11]

The transparent eggs are pelagic and remain suspended in the water for 15–20 hours. The hatched larvae have a large yolk sac with no functional eyes, gut or fins, but two days later, the yolk is absorbed, and the larvae have more of a resemblance to fish. These larvae are plankton-eaters and grow quickly. Between the ages of three and four weeks old, when they have reached a length of 15 to 20 mm (0.6 to 0.8 in), they descend to the floor as juveniles. Juvenile angelfish live alone and in territories encompassing finger sponges and coral, where they establish cleaning stations for other fish. [6]

Human interactions

Aquarium in Barcelona, Spain Queen Angelfish 14-05-2009 15-24-48.JPG
Aquarium in Barcelona, Spain

Queen angelfish are not normally eaten or commercially fished. They are captured mostly for the aquarium trade, where they are highly valued. [21] As juveniles, angelfish can adapt to eating typical aquarium food and hence have a higher survival rate than individuals taken as adults, which require a more specialized diet. [22]

In Brazil, the queen angelfish is the most common marine ornamental fish sold aboard. [1] From 1995 to 2000, 43,730 queen angelfish were traded at Fortaleza in the northeast of the country, and in 1995, 75% of marine fish sold were both queen and French angelfish. [23] In 2010, the queen angelfish was assessed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as the species is only significantly fished off Brazil and the wild population appeared to be secure. [1]

Queen angelfish have been caught in the eastern Adriatic Sea, off Croatia, in 2011, and the Mediterranean Sea, off Malta, in 2020. These are likely introductions from the aquarium industry and not natural colonizations. [24] In 2015, an aquarium-introduced angelfish was found in the Red Sea at Eilat's Coral Beach, Israel. Its kidney was infected with the disease-causing bacterium Photobacterium damselae piscicida , which was not previously recorded in Red Sea fish, raising concerns that it could infect native fish. [25]

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>Centropyge</i> Genus of fishes

Centropyge is a genus of ray-finned fish, marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. These species do not exceed 15 cm in length and live in haremic structures with one dominant male and multiple females. Although it is hard to identify their gender; females are often shorter and more round finned. Like many other reef fish and all marine angelfish, the species in this genus are protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning that they start their adult lives as females and the dominant individual in a group can change to a male within days. A reversal of this sex change is possible if the social status of the individual changes, it is however a process that requires much more time.

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

The orangeback angelfish, also known as the flameback angelfish, African pygmy angelfish and in South Africa as the Jumping Bean or Bean, is a species of 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">Bicolor angelfish</span> Species of fish

The bicolor angelfish is a marine species of fish, easily recognizable by its yellow tail, yellow front half of their body, and blue rear with blue patterns above and around the eye. Other names of this angelfish include: Pacific rock beauty, oriole angelfish, oriole dwarf angel, blue and gold angel, and two-colored angel. The life expectancy in the wild varies greatly, depending on location, and ranges between 5 and 13 years. These fish tend to grow to a maximum of 6 inches in length. The larval stages lasts approximately 32 days.

<i>Genicanthus watanabei</i> Species of fish

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.

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

The French angelfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It occurs in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

<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">Royal angelfish</span> Species of fish

The royal angelfish, or regal angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae, and the monotypic genus Pygoplites. It is found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceans. It can grow as long as 25 cm.

<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 marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae. Its large size and bright colors make it a popular aquarium fish, even though it can be difficult to keep.

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

Apolemichthys griffisi, or Griffis angelfish, is a species of ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean. It is a rarity for the species to enter the aquarium trade.

<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.

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

Apolemichthys trimaculatus, the threespot angelfish or flagfin angelfish, is a demersal marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<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.

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

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.

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

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pyle, R.; Myers, R. F.; Rocha, L. A.; Craig, M. T. (2010). "Holacanthus ciliaris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165883A6156566. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165883A6156566.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer (December 2019). "Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)". Fishbase . Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Holacanthus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Holacanthus Lacepède, 1802". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Scharpf, Christopher; Lazara, Kenneth J. (21 July 2020). "Order Acanthuriformes (Part 1): Families Lobotidae, Pomacanthidae, Drepaneidae and Chaetodontidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Holacanthus ciliaris". Discover Fish. Florida Museum. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Alva-Campbell, Y.; Floeter, S. R.; Robertson, D. R.; Bellwood, D. R.; Bernardi, G. (2010). "Molecular phylogenetics and evolution of Holacanthus angelfishes (Pomacanthidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56 (1): 456–461. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.02.014. PMID   20171293.
  8. 1 2 3 Tariel, J.; Longo, G. C.; Bernardi, G. (2016). "Tempo and mode of speciation in Holacanthus angelfishes based on RADseq markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 98: 84–88. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.01.010. PMID   26876637. S2CID   205840957.
  9. ↑ Reyes-Bonilla, H.; Alvarez-Filip, F.; Sánchez-Alcántara, I. (2010). "New records of the Townsend angelfish (Holacanthus bermudensis X H. ciliaris hybrid) and range extension of the Blue angelfish (H. bermudensis) in the Caribbean Sea". Caribbean Journal of Science. 46 (2–3): 339–345. doi:10.18475/cjos.v46i2.a24. S2CID   130966144.
  10. ↑ Feddern, H. (1968). "Hybridization between the western Atlantic angelfishes, Holacanthus isabelita and H. ciliaris" (PDF). Bulletin of Marine Science. 18 (2): 351–382.
  11. 1 2 3 Deloach, Ned; Deloach, Anne (2019). Reef Fish Behavior: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas (2nd ed.). New World Publications. pp. 175–176, 180–181. ISBN   978-1878348685.
  12. ↑ Shen, K-N; Chang, C-W; Chen, C-H; Hsiao, C-D (2015). "Complete mitogenomes of King angelfish (Holacanthus passer) and Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae)". Mitochondrial DNA Part A. 27 (4): 2815–2816. doi:10.3109/19401736.2015.1053081. PMID   26119118. S2CID   207745744.
  13. ↑ "Species: Holacanthus ciliaris, Blue angelfish". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Snyder, David B.; Burgess, George H. (2016). Marine Fishes of Florida. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 221–224. ISBN   978-1421418728.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Moyer, J. T.; Thresher, R. E.; Colin, P. L. (1983). "Courtship, spawning and inferred social organization of American angelfishes (Genera Pornacanthus, Holacanthus and Centropyge; Pomacanthidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 9 (1): 25–39. doi:10.1007/BF00001056. S2CID   25999869.
  16. ↑ Luiz, O. J. Jr (2003). "Colour Morphs in a Queen Angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris (Perciformes: Pomacanthidae) population of St. Paul's Rocks, NE Brazil". Tropical Fish Hobbyist. 51 (5): 81–90.
  17. ↑ Feeley, M.; Luiz, O. J. Jr; Zurcher, N. (2009). "Colour morph of a probable queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris from Dry Tortugas, Florida". Journal of Fish Biology. 74 (10): 2415–2421. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2009.02259.x. PMID   20735563.
  18. ↑ Francini-Filho, R. B.; Amado-Filho, G. M. (2012). "First record of pughead skeletal deformity in the queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris (St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago, Mid Atlantic Ridge, Brazil)". Coral Reefs. 32 (211): 211. doi: 10.1007/s00338-012-0975-z . S2CID   43730987.
  19. ↑ Reis, F.; Moraes, F.; Batista, D.; Villaça, R.; Aguiar, A.; Muricy, G. (2013). "Diet of the queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris (Pomacanthidae) in São Pedro e São Paulo Archipelago, Brazil". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 93 (2): 453–460. doi:10.1017/S0025315412001099. S2CID   87827468.
  20. ↑ Nottingham, Mara C.; Feitosa Silva, José Roberto; de Araújo, Maria Elisabeth (2003). "Morphology and Histology of the Testicles of Queen Angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Teleostei: Perciformes: Pomacanthidae)". Arquivos de Ciências do Mar. 36 (1–2): 89–94. doi:10.32360/acmar.v36i1-2.6602 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)
  21. ↑ Larkin, S. L.; de Bodisco, C.; Degner, R. L. (2008). "Wholesale and Retail Break-Even Prices for MAC-Certified Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)". In Cato, J. C.; Brown, C. L. (eds.). Marine Ornamental Species: Collection, Culture & Conservation. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 126. ISBN   978-0813829876.
  22. ↑ Spotte, S. (1993). Marine Aquarium Keeping. Wiley. p. 87. ISBN   9780471594895.
  23. ↑ Monteiro-Neto, C.; Cunha, F. E. A.; Nottingham, M. C.; Araújo, M. E.; Rosa, I. L.; Barros, G. M. L. (2003). "Analysis of the marine ornamental fish trade at Ceará State, northeast Brazil". Biodiversity and Conservation. 12 (6): 1287–1295. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.610.6568 . doi:10.1023/A:1023096023733. S2CID   19814034.
  24. ↑ Deidun, A.; Galdies, J.; Zava, B. (2020). "A bonanza of angelfish (Perciformes: Pomacanthidae) in the Mediterranean: the second documented record of Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)". BioInvasions Records. 9 (4): 827–833. doi: 10.3391/bir.2020.9.4.16 . S2CID   229615030.
  25. ↑ Stern, N.; Rachmilovitz, E. N.; Sharon, G.; Diamant, A. (2016). "The dire implications of releasing marine ornamental fishes into the wild: first reported case from the Red Sea". Marine Biodiversity. 48 (3): 1615–1620. doi:10.1007/s12526-016-0600-4. S2CID   14359958.
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