Pomacanthus maculosus

Pomacanthus maculosus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Pomacanthidae
Genus:	Pomacanthus
Species:	P. maculosus
Binomial name
Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775)

Pomacanthus maculosus is a marine angelfish distributed throughout the Persian Gulf, the northwestern Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea. Its common names include halfmoon angelfish, yellowband angelfish, yellowbar angelfish, yellow-blotch angelfish, and yellow-marked angelfish.^[1] The species lives mainly in coral and rocky areas, in shallow to moderate depths (forty feet), though it is more often in silty reef areas than in rich coral growth. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

Juveniles have different markings than adults.

Appearance

This angelfish grows to a size of 50 cm in length. It is very similar in appearance to the asfur angelfish (P. asfur), which is found in overlapping habitats in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. The halfmoon angelfish can be distinguished from the asfur primarily by its tail color, which is pale to clear, while the asfur's tail is bright yellow.

As with other large angelfish in genus Pomacanthus, juveniles and sub-adults are differently marked and colored than adults. Small halfmoon angelfish are alternately blue, white, and black banded.

Diet

This species has a diet typical of angelfishes. Its main food is sponges. It also eats small anemones, algae, tubeworms, and shrimp.

Notes

References

• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2008). "Pomacanthus maculosus" in FishBase. December 2008 version.

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