Angelfish
angelfish
Cortez Angelfish
Pomacanthus zonipectus
About
The Cortez angelfish is a striking reef fish from the Eastern Pacific that changes its look completely as it grows up. It reaches about 26 cm on average, with the largest recorded at 46 cm.
- Length
- 26 cm · max 46 cm
- Depth
- up to 12 m
Appearance
Adults have a deep, flattened body with a short, blunt snout and a small mouth full of tiny bristle-like teeth. The back half of the body is covered in fine crisscrossing lines that turn yellowish-green near the tail, with a bright yellow arc behind the pectoral fin and a yellow saddle across the nape. The middle of the flank is pale grey. Juveniles look completely different: a blackish-brown body crossed by six bright yellow bands running from the face to the base of the tail, with blue bars in between and blue-edged dorsal and pelvic fins.
Habitat
Cortez angelfish live on reefs in the Eastern Pacific, from the northern Gulf of California south to Peru, usually between about 6 and 12 m deep. Juveniles also shelter in tide pools, while adults range more widely over open reef in pairs.
Did you know?
Adult Cortez angelfish pair up and appear to stay monogamous, ranging together over the reef rather than living alone like the territorial juveniles.
Log it in Into the Blue
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