Emperor Angelfish

• biologíaIts colour pattern changes so dramatically between the juvenile phase, with concentric blue and white rings, and the adult, with horizontal bands, that for years the two were thought to be separate species.
• Juveniles are dark blue with concentric white rings and look nothing like the adults, which are striped in yellow and blue with a dark mask; the change happens between 8 and 12 cm.
• It feeds mainly on sponges and sea squirts, food that very few fish can digest.
• Both juveniles and adults clean parasites from much larger fish, including ocean sunfish.
• When disturbed it makes a dry knocking sound.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)

Habitat and environment

Indo-Pacific reefs with rich coral growth in lagoons, channels and reef fronts, between 1 and 100 m; adults occupy ledges and caves

Sexual maturity

Length at first maturity 25 cm; females at around 25 cm and males at around 28 cm

Litter / clutch size

Mean fecundity of about 79,000 eggs, 0.3 to 0.8 mm across

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Pomacanthus imperator