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Species: Pomacanthus annularis, Bluering Angelfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

yellow brown + curved blue lines
blue ring over gill cover
head: blue stripes
Juv: curved pale bars
juv: 3-4 strong white bars, 1 on head
juv: C clear
C white

Pomacanthus annularis (Bloch, 1787)

Bluering 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; gill rakers 4+12; dorsal fin un-notched, XIII, 20-21; anal rays III, 20; front soft rays of dorsal but not anal fin with filaments; tail fin truncate; 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: brown to yellowish brown, with curved blue lines on body and soft dorsal and anal fin; side of nape above operculum with a blue ring; tail fin white, with yellow margin. Juvenile: dark blue, with thin curved bars, 3-4 prominent white bars (1 behind eye, others on body), plus ~10 pale blue bars; soft dorsal often with blue circles; tail fin translucent bluish white.

Size: to 45 cm.

Habitat: coastal reefs, often in caves, and under wharfs, in harbors; frequently in murky water.

Depth: 1-60 m.

Indo-west Pacific: introduced to southeast Florida.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Reef only
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
  • Planktivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
  • Zooplankton
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Exotic (Introduced)
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • Exotic (Introduced)
  • GC non-endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Vagrant
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 45
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 60