Queen Angelfish

Holacanthus
Ciliaris

Jason Jungerman
Marine Biology

Order - Perciformes
Family - Pomacanthidae
Genus -Holacanthus
Species -ciliarus

Location of species
Queen Angelfish are a tropical fish usually

found in coral reefs in:

The western Pacific Ocean
The Indian Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean as far south as Brazil.

Queen Angelfish do not migrate, and they are

commonly spotted near the Bahamas and

Florida as well as the Cayman Islands, and I
was fortunate enough to see them on the
reefs in Honduras.

Environment
Queen angelfish primarily found in and around

coral reefs. Which provide the adequate shelter

and abundant food sources these fish need to
survive.
They can be found at depths up to 230 ft. (70 m.)
I have personally been down to 110 ft. while
filming a queen angelfish.
Queen Angelfish are naturally a marine fish,
although they can tolerate changes in salinity
which is why they can be placed marine
aquariums.

The Queen Angelfish stays near the bottom in

coral reef habitats. The queen angelfish can be
found from nearshore shallows down to the
deepest portion of the reef where the lack of
light inhibits coral growth

Description
Queen angelfish, in the genus Holacanthus, have

the species name "ciliaris." The fish were identified

and named in 1758, although their scientific names
have changed since discovery.
The adult queen angelfish have a vast amount of
overall body color described as can be described
Blue to blueish green having yellow rims on ints
scales. The ventral and pectoral fins are also yellow
but their lips and the edges of the dorsal fins and
rear fins are dark blue. These fish are also known to
have blue and purple markings around the eyes and
gills.

Description
They have rounded heads and small beak-like mouths, and,

like other angelfish, their long upper and lower fins stream
dramatically behind them.
Quite a large fish for a reef dweller.
They can grow up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) in length.
Even with there Bright colorations they still can camouflage
quite well within the florescent coloring of the reef.
Weight up to 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
Queen angels are close relatives of the equally striking blue
angelfish. In fact, these two species are known to mate,
forming natural hybrids, a very rare occurrence among
angelfish.
The best way to know if it an actual queen angelfish, the tail
fin is completely yellow. ===

Feeding/Diet
Young Queen Angelfish feed by setting up

cleaning stations in sea grass where larger

fish come to have their skin parasites
removed.
Queen angelfish in their natural habitats feed
heavily on sponges. They also eat a lot of
algae, hydroids, plankton, sea fans,
bryozoans, anemones, soft corals, jellyfish and
tunicates. The youngsters often eat skin
parasites that they extract from bigger fish.
The juveniles of the species also take in a lot
of algae.

Diet/sea fans/anemone/soft coral

Diet/Algae

Diet/sponges

Diet/Hydroids/plankton

Reproduction
The adults are found in pairs year round, perhaps

suggesting a long-term monogamous bond. The pairs

reproduce by rising up in the water, bringing their bellies
close together, and release clouds of sperm and eggs. The
female can release anywhere from 25 to 75 thousand
eggs each evening and as many as ten million eggs
during each spawning cycle. The eggs are transparent,
buoyant, and pelagic, floating in the water column. They
hatch after 15 to 20 hours into larvae that lack effective
eyes, fins, or even a gut. The large yolk sac is absorbed
after 48 hours, during which time the larvae develop
normal characteristics of free swimming fish. Larvae are
found in the water column and feed on plankton. The
larvae grow rapidly and about 3-4 weeks after hatching
the 15-20mm long juvenile settles on the bottom.

The juveniles are solitary and live primarily

in and around colonies of finger sponges

and coral. They are vigorously territorial
and have been known to set up cleaning
stations along the reef within their territory.
These are areas where larger fishes allow a
smaller creature to remove any parasites
from its body. A sort of truce among
predators and prey prevails at the cleaning
station. The large fish remains motionless
and allows the smaller fish access to
sensitive areas such as the gills. The small
fish in turn trusts the larger fish not to eat

Development
Juvenile queen angel fish are actually quite
different looking then there adult
counterparts

Life Span
The life span of the Queen Angelfish has not

been well documented.

Although scientists have estimated roughly 15
years.

Human Impact
Human Impact has greatly affected these fish

as much as all fish.

Coral bleaching because of raised
temperatures and lack of nutrients has
become a huge problem.
No nutrients no reefs
No reefs no fish!

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Holacanthus

_ciliaris
/
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals
/fish/queen-angelfish
/
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/speciesprofiles/holacanthus-ciliaris
/
Many of the photos were done by myself as
well as a few from google images.