Pomacanthus paru, French Angelfish [+]

Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Actinopterygii Order Perciformes Family Pomacanthidae Genus Pomacanthus species: Pomacanthus paru [+ITIS +WoRMS]

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Description & Behavior

French angelfish, Pomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787), are common, and are found throughout the Caribbean. Like other angelfishes and butterflyfishes, French angelfish have tall, narrow bodies. Because they are so thin, they can turn quickly and can maneuver down into narrow cracks between the corals to hunt their prey and avoid predators. They swim by rowing with their pectoral fins. Their long dorsal, anal, and caudal (tail) fins allow them to turn quickly.

Adult French angelfish reach 41.1 cm in length. Dorsal spines: 10-10; Dorsal softrays: 29-31; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft-rays: 22-24. Black, the scales of the body, except those at front from nape to abdomen, rimmed with golden yellow; a broad orange-yellow bar at pectoral base; dorsal filament yellow; chin whitish; outer part of iris yellow; eye narrowly rimmed below with blue.

World Range & Habitat

Common in shallow reefs. Usually in pairs, often near sea fans and sponges.

Juveniles are jet black with circular bright yellow bands and they tend cleaning stations where they service a broad range of clients, including jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes, and wrasses. At the station the cleaner displays a fluttering swimming and when cleaning it touches the clients with its pelvic fins.

Western Atlantic: Florida, USA and Bahamas to Brazil. Also Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, including Antilles. Eastern Atlantic: off Ascension Island and St. Paul's Rocks.

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