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Family Taxonomy

The family Pomacanthidae comprises about 87 species in nine genera. Australian seas contain 30 species in 7 genera; one additional species is found on the Australian territory of Cocos (Keeling) Island in the Indian Ocean.

Family Distribution

Most angelfishes live on coral reefs and are found worldwide, mostly in tropical seas.

Family Size

The maximum size is about 46 cm, but several Centropyge species are fully mature at lengths under 10 cm.

Family Feeding

Most of the smaller species such as members of Centropyge feed almost exclusively on algae, whereas many of the larger species feed on sponges supplemented with algae and small amounts of zoantharians, tunicates, hydroids, gorgonians and various eggs.

Family Reproduction

Although closely allied to butterflyfishes (Family Chaetodontidae) angelfishes lack the characteristic tholichthys larval morphology of chaetodontids.

Family Commercial

Pomacanthids are popular aquarium fishes.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2020

References


Baraf, L., Pratchett, M. & Cowman, P. 2019. Ancestral biogeography and ecology of marine angelfishes (F: Pomacanthidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolutio, 140, Article: 106596, DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106596.