French Angelfish (Pomacanthus paru)
Defining Characteristics
Young French angelfish have three vertical yellow stripes on their bodies. As young French angelfish mature into adults, they lose their stripes and turn gray with yellow scales.
Habitat
French angelfish live in temperate to tropical waters in the Atlantic Ocean and are commonly found on shallow reefs.
Diet
Adult French Angelfish feed primarily on sponges, algae, soft corals, and tunicates.
Behavior
Juveniles tend cleaning stations where they remove parasites from many fish such as jacks, snappers, eels, grunts, and grasses.
Fishy Feature
The genus name, Pomacanthus, comes from the Greek word poma, meaning cover, and the word akantha, meaning horn. These fish have a covering over their gills with a thorn to protect them from predators.