Species: Pomacanthus zonipectus, Cortez angelfish
Pomacanthus zonipectus (Gill, 1862)
Cortez angelfish
Deep compressed body; a short, blunt snout; 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, XI, 24-25; anal rays III, 20-22; dorsal and anal fins usually end in filaments; tail straight; body with large and small scales, irregularly arranged, lateral scales >70, very rough, 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; lateral line complete;
Grey, darker at front; rear of body and adjacent dorsal and anal fins charcoal or blackish; a broad yellow bar just behind margin of cheek, a second narrower yellow bar bordered with black just behind pectoral fin base; tail fin pale yellowish; juvenile black with six curved yellow bars on head, body and tail, with narrow blue bars between them.
Size: to 50 cm.
Habitat: usually seen solitarily or in pairs on rocky reefs. Juveniles "clean" parasites from the surface of other fishes.
Depth: 1-50 m.
Southern Baja and Gulf of California to Peru, including all the oceanic islands.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Near Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Corals
- Water column
- Reef only
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Ectoparasite cleaner
- Omnivore
- Diet
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- Ectoparasites
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Benthic microalgae
- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Data
- Soft corals/hydroids
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 50
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 50
