Species: Pomacanthus asfur, Arabian Angelfish, Crescent Angelfish

Pomacanthus asfur (Forsskal, 1775)

Arabian Angelfish, Crescent 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, XII, 19-21; anal rays III, 18-19; front soft rays of dorsal and anal fin both with filaments; tail fin rounded; 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: blackish brown, with a yellow half-moon on front of body; scales on front of body dark blue; head black; tail fin yellow. Juvenile: dark blue, with thin pale blue and white bars; center of body with yellow mark on upper side; tail fin yellow.

Size: to 40 cm.

Habitat: inshore reefs, with much coral mixed with silt bottoms, in low visibility water

Depth: 3-30 m.

Red Sea and E Africa: introduced to southeast Florida.