Species: Holacanthus tricolor, Rock Beauty, Rock Beauty Angelfish

Holacanthus tricolor (Bloch, 1795)

Rock Beauty, Rock Beauty Angelfish

Body 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, 17-19; anal rays III, 18-20; dorsal but not anal fin ends in a filament; tail straight; large, regularly arranged, very rough scales with distinct ridges on the exposed part, scales extend out onto the median fins; 43-46 lateral line scales; without "axillary process" (an enlarged scale) at the base of the pelvic fins; lateral line ends under end of soft dorsal fin.

Rear 3/4 of body, and inner ¾ of dorsal and anal fins black; head, front 1/4 of body and outer edges of dorsal and anal fins as well as all of pectorals, pelvics and tail fin yellow; mouth purplish. Juvenile: yellow, a black, blue-ringed ocellus on upper rear of body.

Maximum size about 25 cm.

Habitat: coral and rocky reefs.

Depth: 1-143 m.

Georgia to Brazil.