emperor angelfish Essay

346 Words2 Pages
The Emperor Angelfish also known as the Imperator Angelfish is usually found in most parts of the Indo- Central Pacific Ocean and in the warmer parts of the Red Sea. They live in areas with rich coral growth Young emperor angelfishes tend to live alone, hiding in reef holes and crevices. In some parts young emperor angelfishes frequent shrimp cleaning stations and would occasionally help shrimps pick off parasites and dead skin from a fish waiting to be cleaned. The emperor angelfish is a carnivore unlike most species of angelfish that are herbivores. Emperor angelfish eats coral heads, small invertebrates like sponges, and crustaceans such as shrimp and shellfish. An adult emperor angelfish’s appearance is different from a juvenile emperor angelfish. The adults have a diagonal yellow and purplish blue stripes and an eye band that runs across the eye. While a juvenile angelfish is a dark blue-black with a white ring on the rear of the body which is surrounded by white and light blue circles. When a juvenile reaches a length of 5 inches their colors completely change. Only the emperor angelfish in the western part of the pacific develop a strand that extends from their dorsal fin. Male emperor angelfish usually live and mate in a specific area making them territorial. Males tend to defend a territory where two or more females also live. When mating both male and female change color. The male’s eye band would turn to an almost black color and the white area around their mouth would darken. The female’s color would become bland in color. At dusk, the pair of emperor angelfish rush to the pelagic spawn where the fertilized eggs released will be taken away on the currents and drift out to the ocean. After releasing the eggs they rush back down and by quickly doing this egg eating predators may not see their release. When the eggs hatch, the larvae stay in the zone

More about emperor angelfish Essay

Open Document