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Species: Holacanthus bermudensis, Blue Angelfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

nape: no blue & black ocellus
juv: center blue bar ~ straight
C & pectoral - only edges yellow

Holacanthus bermudensis Goode, 1876

Blue Angelfish

Deep oval, strongly compressed; snout short, blunt; mouth small, with brush-like teeth; preopercle with a large spine at its angle, with vertical margin serrated; bone between preopercle and operculum with 1-4 large spines; bone under eye without large, rear-pointing spines; dorsal fin un-notched, XIV, 19-21; anal rays III, 20-21; dorsal and anal fins end in long filaments; pectoral rays 19; tail straight; lateral line ends under end of soft dorsal fin; large, regularly arranged, very rough scales with distinct ridges on the exposed part, scales extend out onto the median fins; 45-50 lateral line scales; without "axillary process" (an enlarged scale) at the base of the pelvic fins.

Body and fins blue-grey; outer edges of pectoral and tail fins, and filaments of dorsal and anal fins yellow; no black & blue ocellus on nape, no blue spot on pectoral base, upper corner of operculum same color as rest of head. Juvenile: darker than adult; body with 3 long blue-white bars, middle bar straight, shorter less distinct bars between those; black, blue-edged bar through eye.

Maximum size about 45 cm.

Habitat: coral reefs.

Depth: 3-201 m.

New Jersey to the Central Caribbean.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Corallivore
  • Data
  • Ectoparasite cleaner
  • Omnivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Soft corals/hydroids
  • Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
  • Benthic microalgae
  • Ectoparasites
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Continental primarily
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 45
Depth Range Min
  • 3
Depth Range Max
  • 201