TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Pomacanthidae (Angelfishes)
Genus/Species: Pomacanthus navarchus
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Bright yellow to orange body and face, contrasted with intense deep beautiful blues. It’s named for its color pattern which suggests a girdled appearance that is strengthened with outlines of vibrant neon blues.
Length up to 29.97 cm (11.8 inches)
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Indo Pacific Ocean from the Maldives to Vanuatu then northward to the Yaeyama Islands and it is also found in Palau and Krosae in Micronesia. They inhabit areas with heavy coral growth such as clear lagoons, protected outer reef slopes, and channels. Depth range 3 – 40 m.
DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivore, sponges and tunicates are their main food but also fond of algae.
REPRODUCTION: Hermaphroditic, visibly you cannot tell the difference between males and females.
Longevity: 15 years in the wild.
CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List: LC – Least Concern.
REMARKS: P. navarchus secretes a type of mucus, or slime, from their skin providing protection against parasites and infections and helps it move faster.
References
California Academy of Sciences Philippine coral reef 2016
Ron’s WordPress Shortlink: http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1cu
Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157606840726733/
fishbase http://fishbase.org/summary/Pomacanthus-navarchus.html
Ron's Critter of the Day 