Angelfish

[denise]

There are 85 species of marine angelfishes worldwide, 6 are common in Floridian waters.


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Photo by Robert Palmer

Angelfish are often mistaken for butterfly fishes, but they can be distinguished as they have more rounded forehead and a blunter snout than butterfly fishes, and they also have a spine on their cheek/gill cover, that is absent from butterfly fishes.

Their vibrant coloring and graceful swimming motions make them the most beautiful of the reef residents. They are found in shallow (usually <100 feet) water, and are diurnal creatures, which means they feed by day and sleep at night.


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Photo by Debbie Buck


The coloring of juveniles is often very different to their adult counterparts.

All angelfish are known as protogynous hermaphrodites! This means that they start life as a female, and later on in life, the larger, more mature fish become functional males!!

Here are some pictures and more detailed information about the angelfishes found around Florida's coasts:


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Blue Angelfish, Holacanthus bermudensis, common all along Florida's Goldcoast
Photo by Bob Rosell

Adult blue angelfish can produce loud thumping sounds that warn other angelfish against potential predators.


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Blue Angelfish hiding in a barrel sponge

Blue angelfish occasionally breed with their close cousin, the queen angelfish, and produce a hybrid fish called the townsend angelfish.



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Juvenile stage coloring of the French angelfish, Pomocanthus paru, West Palm Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer

French angelfish are the most common of all angelfish around Florida.

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Juvenile stage French angelfish, Pompano Beach

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French angelfish, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debbie Buck

Juveniles are primarily cleaner fish, and as adults they feed on a wide variety of sponges, sea anemones, coral and algae.


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Intermediate stage of the French angelfish, Key Largo
Photo by Courtney Redfield

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French angelfish are more often spotted in pairs than alone. They are a very territorial fish, but also very curious and swim close to divers and snorkelers to check them out.

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French Angelfish over a wreck
Photo by Ben Riley


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Close up of Grey angelfish, Pomocanthus arcuatus, West Palm Beach.
Photo by Robert Palmer

Grey angelfish are curious and unafraid by nature, they often approach divers. They also make a habit of cleaning parasites from larger fish such as jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes and wrasses.


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Pair of grey angelfish on a well decorated reef, West Palm Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer

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Close up of queen angelfish, showing the "crown" on the head, that gives them their common name. Queen angelfish are the most brightly colored and beautiful of all angelfishes.
Photo by Debbie Buck

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Queen Angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debi Buck

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Juvenile Queen Angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debbie Buck

Queen angelfish feed mainly on sponges and algae, but they will also eat jellyfish from time to time. Juveniles act as cleaner fish, they set up cleaning stations, where larger fish come to, and have their parasites eaten off them! This is a beneficial and trustful relationship: the larger fish remain motionless and allows the young queen angelfish to clean parasites from sensitive areas such as the gills, and in turn the juveniles trust the larger fish not to eat them!



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Rock Beauty, Holacanthus tricolor, Boynton Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer

Rock beauties are the smallest of angelfish, and live around rock jetties, rocky reefs and rich coral areas. Juveniles usually live in or near fire coral. Unlike other angelfish, rock beauties do not participate in cleaning stations. They feed on sponge, coral and algae.


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Rock Beauty, Lantana Beach
Photo by Bob Rosell