Species of fish
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus, the bluespotted angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is from the Western-Pacific Ocean.
Description
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus has a pale orange-brown head and anterior part of the body, while the remainder of the body is dusky brown to bluish-black marked with dense blue spots. The dorsal and anal fins are dark brown with blue margins, while the caudal fin is vivid yellow.[2] The juveniles are dark brown, pearl black with a yellow stripe on the forward part of the back and another on the head and around the dorsal fin, their tail is yellow and white.[3] The dorsal fin contains 13 spines and 17 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).[4]
Distribution
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus is endemic to the Philippines where it is rarely recorded in the wild.[5]
Habitat and biology
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus is found at depths between 14 and 40 metres (46 and 131 ft).[4] It prefers rock areas with a rich growth of sponges and algae.[5] Its diet is composed of sponges and tunicates.[4] Like all other angelfish it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with all individuals being female initially and the dominant ones changing to males.[3]
Systematics
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus was first formally described in 1976 by the Japanese ichthyologists Fujio Yasuda and Yoshiaki Tominaga with the type locality given as the Philippines.[6] The position of this species is indeterminate and its closest relatives have not yet been resolved. It was proposed that it was a hybrid but the consistency of appearance of specimens collected and their numbers strongly suggest it is a valid species.[5]
Utlisation
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus despite its apparent rarity in the wild is quite frequently found in the aquarium trade and has been bred in captivity.[3]
