The Most Beautiful And Brilliantly Colored Coral Reef Fishes
Marine angelfish (Pomacanthidae) live around the same coral reefs as the butterflyfish and in fact look a bit like larger editions of those fish, but some people think angelfish is prettier. They differ from Butterflyfish in that they have a spine at the base of each gill cover. Except during mating angelfish are solitary, and each fish will vigorously defend its territory. If another member of the species intrudes, it will make a threatening display, showing off its colors. If the invader does not leave, there will be a violent fight.
A Zebra angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus) lives on a coral reef in Indo-Pacific waters.
The Blue-ringed angelfish (Pomacanthus annularis) lives around coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
Butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae) are found around coral reefs all over the world. These are thin, brilliantly colored fish with almost-circular bodies, but the color is arranged in bold patches and bands that break up their shape and thus help camouflage them. With the real eyes hidden in black bands and in a number of species a black eyespot showing prominently in front of the tail, the Butterflyfish further confuse predators about which end is back and which is front. These fish are also protected by a row of spines on the back that make them an unpleasant mouthful. Some have flattened, chisel-like teeth to pick off coral polyps, while others have tiny protruding teeth at the tip of their pointed snout to take food from tight crevices in rocks.
Another inhabitant of coral reefs is the colorful damselfish (Pomacentridae). Like the cichlids, which damselfish resemble, their nostrils have only one opening, and they have two spiny fin rays in the front part of the anal fin. Damselfish lay their eggs in rock crevices and guard them fiercely. They anemone fish, or clownfish, live among the tentacles of sea anemones. A skin secretion protects them from the anemone’s sting. Damselfish are very popular for aquariums.