Gray angelfish

The gray angelfish was first formally described in 1758 as Chaetodon arcuatus by Carolus Linnaeus in the 10th Edition of his Systema Naturae with the type locality given as "Indiis". When Lacépède created the genus Pomacanthus, he used Linnaeus's Chaetodon arcuatus as its type species. When Pomacanthus is subdivided into subgenera, this species is placed in the subgenus Pomacanthus. The specific name arcuatus means "bowed", referring to the curved lines on the body. ==Distribution==

The gray angelfish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean from New York to Rio de Janeiro, though it is typically not found north of Florida during the winter. Its range extends to all of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. ==Description==

The gray angelfish has a disk-shaped, compressed body with a large head and small snout. The snout has a mouth at its tip, which is filled with small, bristle-like teeth. The preoperculum has a sizable spine at its corner and a smooth vertical edge. The juveniles have a black body marked with five vertical yellow stripes, three on the head and two on the body. The caudal fin has a black blotch which can be elongated or rectangular. Adults are pale grayish in color and covered in black spots. The head is plain pale gray with a white mouth. The dorsal and anal fins frequently show elongated streamers. The dorsal fin contains 9 spines and 31–33 soft rays, while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 23–25 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of . ==Habitat==

The gray angelfish is found at depths between over coral and rocky reefs. == Biology ==

Diet The gray angelfish is a diurnal species hiding in the reef during the night. They mainly feed on sponges but have also been recorded feeding on algae, as well as tunicates, zoantharians, gorgonians, hydroids, and bryozoans. The juveniles act as cleaner fish, establishing a cleaning station which is visited by a variety of larger fishes for the juvenile gray angelfish to remove and consume their ectoparasites. ==Utilisation==

The gray angelfish is a popular fish in the aquarium trade. Specimens enter the trade from Florida throughout the year. Between 1995 and 2000 over 12,000 fish of this species entered the trade, which originated in Brazil. The species has been bred in captivity. It is also caught in some areas for food. Toxicity The consumption of gray angelfish is known to occasionally cause ciguatera poisoning. However, the risk of ciguatera poisoning from consuming this species is nonetheless considered low. ==References==