The cherubfish (''Centropyge argi''), also known as the pygmy angelfish, 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 western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The cherubfish has an oval, deep and laterally compressed body with a short, blunt snout and a small mouth. There is a long, robust spine at the angle of the preoperculum, which has its vertical edge being serrated. The body is deep blue in colour with the head and chest being orange-yellow with a thin blue eye ring and a small dark blue botch to the rear of the mouth. The

pectoral 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 ...

s are pale yellowish while the other fins are dark blue with light blue margins. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

contains 14–15 spines and 15–16 soft rays while the

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 ...

has 3 spines and 17 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of .

Distribution

The cherubfish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It occurs off

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

, and from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

through the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

to the Caribbean coast of South America, as far east as

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Habitat and biology

The cherubfish occurs at depths between , typically below . Its usual habitat is coral rubble where it feeds on algae and small benthic invertebrates. It retreats into cavities when alarmed. It lives in small groups of around 10 fish, usually a single male and a few females and juveniles.

Systematics

The cherubfish was first formally described in 1951 by Loren Paul Woods and Robert H. Kanazawa with the type locality given as the Argus Bank near Bermuda. In some classifications it is placed in the subgenus ''Xiphipops''.The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

refers to the type locality.

Utilisation

The cherubfish is one of the most popular species of marine angelfish in aquaria.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q882759 Cherubfish Fish of the Caribbean Taxa named by Loren P. Woods Taxa named by Robert H. Kanazawa Fish described in 1951 Fish of Aruba