The Clarion angelfish (''Holacanthus clarionensis'') is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a marine angelfish belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Pomacanthidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, almost exclusively near islands off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Description

The Clarion angelfish has a laterally compressed, quadrilateral body. It has a small mouth which is equipped with bristle like teeth. The juveniles have an overall colour of yellowish-orange on the body and fins; the body is marked with a number of blue vertical bars which fade and, eventually, disappear as the fish matures. The juveniles may also have blue lips and blue margins on the dorsal and

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

s. The adults have a brownish face, with the adjacent part of the body behind reddish orange and the posterior body being browner. The dorsal and anal fins are bright orange while the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...

. The dorsal fin contains 14 spines and 17-19 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 19-19 soft rays. This species attains a maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of .

Distribution

The Clarion angelfish has a very limited range in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, being largely restricted to the Revillagigedo Islands of Mexico. Vagrants have occasionally been reported from the southern tip of

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and the southeastern part of the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

, as well as Clipperton Island, a French territory.

Habitat and biology

The Clarion angelfish is found in rocky reefs at depths of up to . They are typically encountered as either solitary individuals or in shoals. It is a little studied species.

Systematics

The Clarion angelfish was first formally described in 1890 by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Charles Henry Gilbert Charles Henry Gilbert (December 5, 1859 in Rockford, Illinois – April 20, 1928 in Palo Alto, California) was a pioneer ichthyologist and Fisheries science, fishery biologist of particular significance to natural history of the western Unit ...

(1859-1928), with the type locality given as

Clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave above unison pitch * "Clarion" (song), a 2 ...

, Socorro and

San Benedicto Island San Benedicto, formerly Isla de los Innocentes, is an uninhabited island, and third largest island of the Revillagigedo Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is 4.8 km by 2.4 km in size, with an area 10 km². It is of volcanic ...

s in the Revillagigedo Islands, western Mexico. The specific name refers to Clarion Island.

Utilisation

The Clarion angelfish was formerly collected for the aquarium trade, but since the Revillagigedo Islands were declared a protected area collection has been illegal. It has, however, been bred in captivity and captive bred specimens have entered the trade.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2384170 clarionensis Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert Fish described in 1891