Holacanthus africanus

Holacanthus africanus (Guinean angelfish) is an angelfish commonly found in shallower rocky areas and reefs off the coast of tropical West Africa, in the warmer sections of the eastern Atlantic Ocean.[2]

Guinean angelfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Holacanthus
Species:
H. africanus
Binomial name
Holacanthus africanus
(Cadenat, 1951)

Description

Juvenile Guinean angelfish have dark blue bodies with bright yellow lips and tail, narrow vertical pale blue lines on either side of the eye, and a white vertical bar in the middle of the body. In the adult, the blue becomes an olive green, the white vertical bar becomes yellower, larger, and less distinct, and the caudal peduncle darkens to a near-black. Some yellow areas may remain on the edges of the dorsal and anal fins. A dark ocellus is visible behind the gill cover.[3] The maximum adult length is around 45 cm.

Diet

The Guinean angelfish has a non-specialized diet.[4] It feeds primarily on sponges, but also on tunicates, jellyfish, and soft corals as well as algae and plankton.

Distribution

Guinean angelfish inhabit rocky areas and reefs from Senegal to the Congo, including the Cape Verde islands and São Tomé. It is common off the coast of Ghana.[5] They have also recently been found in the waters around Sicily and Malta in the central Mediterranean.[6][7]

References
  1. Pyle, R., Myers, R., Rocha, L.A. & Craig, M.T. 2010. Holacanthus africanus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T165825A6142167. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165825A6142167.en. Downloaded on 21 December 2020.
  2. "Holacanthus africanus". September 29, 2015.
  3. "Pictures available for Holacanthus africanus". September 29, 2015.
  4. "Holacanthus africanus (Guinean Angelfish, West African Angelfish)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. September 29, 2015. September 29, 2015.
  5. "Holacanthus africanus". September 29, 2015.
  6. "A deluge of alien fish species in Maltese waters". June 28, 2017.
  7. "Fish alien to the Mediterranean captured in Senglea". October 9, 2017.
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