Regal Angelfish

ID points

• Blue-edged white diagonal bands on an orange-yellow ground
• Anal fin marked with concentric blue and yellow arcs
• Small protruding snout, shy and hides in reef caves

Basics

Family

Pomacanthidae

Length

20–25 cm

Depth

1-80 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Coral reefs from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific

Habitat

Coral reef caves and overhangs

Diet

Sponges, tunicates

Easily confused with

Emperor AngelfishAdults have fine parallel diagonal lines alternating yellow and blueQueen AngelfishA black crown spot ringed in bright blue on top of the headSemicircle AngelfishAdults grey-green, with blue on the gill cover and fin edges

Fun fact

The regal angelfish wears bold diagonal bands of yellow, white and black in an arrangement nobody forgets. For all that beauty it has a bad reputation in aquariums as one of the hardest fish to keep alive, chiefly because wild caught individuals rarely accept prepared foods and often starve rather than eat them.

More in this family

• Bicolor Angelfish
• Flame Angelfish
• French Angelfish