''Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis'', the blue-striped angelfish and bluelined angelfish, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

, a marine angelfish belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Pomacanthidae Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be co ...

. it is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Description

''Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis'' has a background body colour of yellow to tan overlain with vivid longitudinal blue stripes and a yellow caudal fin. In the females the blue stripes run the length of the body. In the males the lines on the body are duller and they have blue lines on the face. The juveniles have a black background colour and there are yellow markings on their fins and a yellow bar to the rear of the head.

Distribution

''Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis'' occurs in the western Pacific Ocean from southern Japan and South Korea and Taiwan and southern China.

Habitat and biology

''Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis'' is commonest on rocky reefs which have large boulders and stones, as well as rubble slopes. It is found at depths of . Small juveniles are frequently commoner at depths over down to they are found on rocky, patch reefs and frequently stay close to a crevice where they can shelter if required. It feeds on sponges and tunicates. Like all other angelfish it is a

protogynous hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is one of the two types of hermaphroditism, the other type being simultaneous hermaphroditism. It occurs when the organism's sex changes at some point in its life. A sequential hermaphrodite ...

, with all individuals being female initially and the dominant ones changing to males.

Systematics

''Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis'' was first formally described in 1844 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel with the type locality given as Nagasaki. The specific name means northern, thought to be a reference to its more northerly distribution than apparently related species.

Utlisation

''Chaetondontoplus septentrionalis'' is infrequently traded in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade but when it does appear it often thrives in captivity.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2740846 septentrionalis Fish described in 1844