Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia
Queen Angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris
One of the most colorful Caribbean reef fish, the blue and yellow queen angelfish slips its slim body effortlessly between corals and sea fans. It uses its small mouth and brushlike teeth to nibble sponges, which are its main food. Like all angelfish, it has a sharp spine at the corner of the gill cover. Juveniles are brown and yellow with curved blue bars and feed on parasites that they pick from other fish.
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- Order Perciformes
- Length Up to 18 in (45 cm)
- Weight Up to 3 lb (1.5 kg)
- Depth 3–230 ft (1–70 m)
- Distribution Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and subtropical waters of western Atlantic
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