Yellowbar angelfish

Lore & Background

Pomacanthus maculosus was first formally described in 1775 as Chaetodon maculosus by Peter Forsskål, with the type locality given as Al-Luhayya, Yemen. The specific name maculosus means 'spotted', referring to either the blue spots on the scales or the large yellow blotch. Some authorities place this species in the subgenus Arusetta.

Adults have a deep, compressed body with a small mouth equipped with bristle-like teeth and an obvious spine at the angle of the preoperculum. The background colour is brownish blue, with each scale having a blue margin, creating a predominantly blue impression. An uneven yellow bar sits near the centre of the flanks, with dark blue, vertically elongated spots towards the head. The caudal fin has wavy blue lines on a pale yellow background. Juveniles are mainly black with many arced vertical blue lines and three broader white lines, and only the rear third of the caudal fin is yellow. The species is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with older females changing sex to become males when there is a shortage of males.

Reader's Guide

Pomacanthus maculosus is found in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman, and has been recorded on distinct but uncommon occasions since 2008 in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It has also been recorded off Florida and Brazil, regarded as an instance of deliberate releases from an aquarium. The species lives at depths between 4 and 50 metres, in sheltered areas often with a mixture of coral and silt. It is solitary and curious, not shy, and its diet is dominated by sponges and tunicates, though other invertebrates are eaten opportunistically. Females attain sexual maturity at around 5.5 years of age and a total length of 21.6 cm, and the maximum longevity is thought to be 36 years. The larvae are planktonic. The species is occasionally collected for the aquarium trade, and in some parts of the Persian Gulf it has been recorded in fish markets.

Did You Know?

• Adults have filaments extending from the soft-rayed parts of the dorsal and anal fins that reach past the caudal fin.
• The species is a protogynous hermaphrodite: older females can change sex to become males when there is a shortage of males.