Gray angelfish

Lore & Background

The gray angelfish was first formally described in 1758 as Chaetodon arcuatus by Carolus Linnaeus in the 10th Edition of his Systema Naturae, with the type locality given as 'Indiis'. When Lacépède created the genus Pomacanthus, he used Linnaeus's Chaetodon arcuatus as its type species. The specific name arcuatus means 'bowed', referring to the curved lines on the body. Juveniles have a black body with five vertical yellow stripes and a black blotch on the caudal fin, while adults are pale grayish covered in black spots, with a plain pale gray head and white mouth. The dorsal and anal fins frequently show elongated streamers.

Reader's Guide

The gray angelfish is a diurnal species that hides in the reef at night and mainly feeds on sponges, also consuming algae, tunicates, zoantharians, gorgonians, hydroids, and bryozoans. Juveniles act as cleaner fish, establishing cleaning stations visited by larger fishes for ectoparasite removal. Spawning occurs in the northern parts of its range from April to September, above deep reefs during early morning, with females releasing 25,000 to 75,000 pelagic eggs that hatch after 15–20 hours. The species is a popular aquarium fish, with over 12,000 specimens entering the trade from Brazil between 1995 and 2000, and it has been bred in captivity. It is also caught for food in some areas, though consumption occasionally causes ciguatera poisoning, considered low risk. The gray angelfish hosts numerous endoparasitic trematodes and ectoparasitic copepods.

Did You Know?

• The gray angelfish is known in Jamaica as the pot cover.
• Females can release between 25,000 and 75,000 eggs per spawning event.
• Over 12,000 specimens entered the aquarium trade from Brazil between 1995 and 2000.