Family: POMACANTHIDAE, Angelfish, Angelfishes

FAMILY POMACANTHIDAE

ANGELFISHES

Angelfishes have a deep compressed body; a short, blunt snout; a small mouth with brush-like teeth; long, strong spine at the corner of the preopercle, as well as smaller spines on the preopercle, opercle, and under the eye; a single, un-notched dorsal fin; and very rough scales with distinct ridges on the exposed part, scales extend out onto the median fins; without "axillary process" (an enlarged scale) at the base of the pelvic fins; adults sometimes with small auxiliary scales between the main body scales.

The family has a circumtropical distribution and is represented by about 91 species in nine genera; 8 species from 3 genera are known in the Greater Caribbean, 1 endemic and 7 W Atlantic.

PREPARED BY D ROSS ROBERTSON, AFTER BURGESS (2002)