Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

Español  Contact

Species: Pomacanthus paru, French angelfish

    Bookmode

Taxa

Next

Previous

Literature

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

dark grey + yellow spots
yellow ring around eye
juv: C black, ringed with yellow
juv: inverted yellow Y on snout
pectoral - outer base yellow
Images
This Species (11) This Genus (8) Similar Species (7)

Next

Previous

Pomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787)

French angelfish

Deep, almost circular, compressed body; head deep, snout short; mouth small, with brush-like teeth; preopercle with a large spine at its angle, with vertical margin smooth; bone between preopercle and operculum without spines; bone under eye without large, rear-pointing spines; dorsal fin un-notched, X, 29-31; anal rays III, 22-24; front soft rays of dorsal and anal fin with filaments; tail fin bluntly rounded in adult; body with large and small scales, irregularly arranged, very rough, with distinct ridges on the exposed part; >70 lateral scales; scales extend out onto the median fins; without "axillary process" (an enlarged scale) at the base of the pelvic fins; lateral line complete.

Adult: dark grey, with bright yellow rims to scales; fins black, base of pectoral yellow. Juvenile: black, with 3 yellow bars; tail black, entirely edged with yellow; center of forehead with a yellow line forms an inverted Y branching down sides of mouth.

Size: to 40 cm.

Habitat: reefs; juveniles common in seagrass beds.

Depth: 1-157 m.

New York to Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download

Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Rocks
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Corals
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Corallivore
  • Omnivore
  • Ectoparasite cleaner
Diet
  • Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
  • Data
  • Soft corals/hydroids
  • Benthic macroalgae/seagrasses
  • Ectoparasites
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Benthic microalgae
Egg Type
  • Pelagic larva
  • Data
  • Pelagic
Global Endemism
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Extends North of GC
  • Island (s)
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC non-endemic
  • All species..
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 157
Length Max
  • 40