Pomacanthus
Pomacanthus is a genus of marine angelfish that is usually found around reefs and coral. Some of the notable places one can see these vari-coloured fish includes the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Sipidan off the southern coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Generally the patterns and colors of these fish undergo a major transformation from juvenile to adult forms. The juveniles may even appear to be a different species. Species The following 13 species are classified within the genus Pomacanthus: Systematics The genus Pomacanthus was created in 1802 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756-1825) with the type species being designated as Chaetodon arcuatus. The name is a compound of poma meaning"lid" and acanthus which means "thorn", a reference to the prominents spine on the rear margin of the operculum, a feature shared by all the marine angelfishes. Some authorities divide the genus up into the following subgenera: Pomacanthus Lacépède, 1802 Pomacanthus (Pomacanthus) arcuatus Pomacanthus (Pomacanthus) paru Pomacanthus (Pomacanthus) zonipectus Acanthochaetodon Bleeker, 1876 Pomacanthus (Acanthochaetodon) annularis Pomacanthus (Acanthochaetodon) chrysurus Pomacanthus (Acanthochaetodon) imperator Pomacanthus (Acanthochaetodon) rhomboides Arusetta Fraser-Brunner, 1933 Pomacanthus (Arusetta) asfur Pomacanthus (Arusetta) maculosus Pomacanthus (Arusetta) semicirculatus Euxiphipops Fraser-Brunner 1934 Pomacanthus (Euxiphipops) navarchus Pomacanthus (Euxiphipops) sexstriatus Pomacanthus (Euxiphipops) xanthometopon References