Queen angelfish

Queen angelfish
Adult
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Pomacanthidae
Genus:	Holacanthus
Species:	H. ciliaris
Binomial name
Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Range of the queen angelfish
Synonyms[2]
Chaetodon ciliaris Linnaeus, 1758 Angelichthys ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758) Chaetodon squamulosus Shaw, 1796 Chaetodon parrae Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Holacanthus coronatus Desmarest, 1823 Holacanthus formosus Castelnau, 1855 Holacanthus iodocus Jordan & Rutter, 1897 Angelichthys iodocus (Jordan & Rutter, 1897) Holacanthus lunatus Blosser, 1909

The queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), also known as the blue angelfish, golden angelfish, or yellow angelfish, is a species of marine angelfish found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a benthic (ocean floor) warm-water species that lives in coral reefs. It is recognized by its blue and yellow coloration and a distinctive spot or "crown" on its forehead. This crown distinguishes it from the closely related and similar-looking Bermuda blue angelfish (Holacanthus bermudensis), with which it overlaps in range and can interbreed.

Adult queen angelfish are selective feeders and primarily eat sponges. Their social structure consists of harems which include one male and up to four females. They live within a territory where the females forage separately and are tended to by the male. Breeding in the species occurs near a full moon. The transparent eggs float in the water until they hatch. Juveniles of the species have different coloration than adults and act as cleaner fish.

The queen angelfish is popular in the aquarium trade and has been a particularly common exported species from Brazil. In 2010, the queen angelfish was assessed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as the wild population appeared to be stable.