Bluespotted angelfish (Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Acanthuriformes · Family: Pomacanthidae · Genus: Chaetodontoplus.

Accepted name: Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus · Authority: Yasuda & Tominaga, 1976 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 280114.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=280114 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 20 cm · Depth range: 15–40 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Unknown, probably a coastal species (Ref. 9710). Feeds on sponges and tunicates. Rarely exported through the aquarium trade (Ref. 48391).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 11116) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chaetodontoplus-caeruleopunctatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus Yasuda & Tominaga, 1976 as Data Deficient (code DD). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 165894) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165894/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2396590) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2396590/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus has a pale orange-brown head and anterior part of the body, while the remainder of the body is dusky brown to bluish-black marked with dense blue spots. The dorsal and anal fins are dark brown with blue margins, while the caudal fin is vivid yellow.

The juveniles are dark brown, pearl black with a yellow stripe on the forward part of the back and another on the head and around the dorsal fin, their tail is yellow and white. The dorsal fin contains 13 spines and 17 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 20 cm.

Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus is endemic to the Philippines where it is rarely recorded in the wild.

Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus is found at depths between 14 and 40 m. It prefers rock areas with a rich growth of sponges and algae. Its diet is composed of sponges and tunicates. Like all other angelfish it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with all individuals being female initially and the dominant ones changing to males.

Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus was first formally described in 1976 by the Japanese ichthyologists Fujio Yasuda and Yoshiaki Tominaga with the type locality given as the Philippines. The position of this species is indeterminate and its closest relatives have not yet been resolved. It was proposed that it was a hybrid but the consistency of appearance of specimens collected and their numbers strongly suggest it is a valid species.

Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus despite its apparent rarity in the wild is quite frequently found in the aquarium trade and has been bred in captivity.

Source: Wikipedia: Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodontoplus_caeruleopunctatus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.