Goldtail angelfish

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Goldtail angelfish
Pomacanthus chrysurus - poisson ange a oreille tache - Aqua Porte Doree 10.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Pomacanthus
Species:
P. chrysurus
Binomial name
Pomacanthus chrysurus
(Cuvier, 1831)
Synonyms [2]
  • Holacanthus chrysurusCuvier, 1831
  • Pomacanthodes chrysurus(Cuvier, 1831)

The goldtail angelfish (Pomacanthus chrysurus), 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.

Contents

Description

The goldtail angelfish shows more similarities between the adults and the juveniles than most other marine angelfishes in the genus Pomacanthus . The juveniles have blackish-brown bodies marked with many white vertical bars. The face is paler, more orangey than the body and is marked with uneven blue lines. They have a yellow caudal fin which develops a white bar on the caudal peduncle when the fish reaches around 4 cm (1.6 in) in length. Both juveniles and adults have a black spot on the upper anterior portion of the body. The adults are similar to the juveniles, the differences being that they have a dark face and no white bar on the caudal peduncle. [3] The dorsal fin has 13–14 spines and 17–19 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 18–19 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 33 cm (13 in). [2]

Distribution

The goldtail angelfish is found in the western Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Aden south along the coast of Eastern Africa as far as KwaZulu Natal. Its range includes Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and the Seychelles. [1]

Habitat and biology

The goldtail angelfish is found at depths of between 1 and 30 metres (3.3 and 98.4 ft) on shallow reefs which have rich growths of coral, or rocky reefs. [1] The adults' diet is dominated by sponges, tunicates, crustaceans, and zooplankton while the juveniles, who are found in much shallower water consume large quantities of algae. [3] The biology of this species is otherwise little known. [1]

Systematics

The goldtail angelfish was first formally described as Holocanthus flavissimus in 1831 by the French anatomist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) with the type locality given as Dorey Harbor, New Guinea, which could be an error for Madagascar. [4] Some authorities place this species in the subgenus Acanthochaetodon. The specific name chrysurus is this compound of chrysis meaning “gold” and urus meaning “tail”, a reference to the yellow caudal fin. [5]

Utilisation

The goldtail angelfish is infrequently collected for the aquarium trade but does not often make it on to the market. Most commercially available specimens originate from Kenya. [1]

Related Research Articles

Pomacanthidae 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

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Lemonpeel angelfish Species of fish

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Bluering angelfish Species of fish

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Gray angelfish Species of fish

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Sixbar angelfish 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>Centropyge eibli</i> Species of fish

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.

<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>Genicanthus bellus</i> Species of fish

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.

<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, the semicircled angelfish, Koran angelfish, blue angelfish, zebra angelfish or half-circled 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 Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

<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>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>Centropyge abei</i> Species of fish

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.

Old woman angelfish 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.

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

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 occurs 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pyle, R.; Rocha, L.A. & Craig, M.T (2010). "Pomacanthus chrysurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165831A6143660. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165831A6143660.en . Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Pomacanthus chrysurus" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 "Pomacanthus chrysurus". Saltcorner!. Bob Goemans. 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pomacanthus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  5. 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 28 February 2021.