Pomacanthus imperator
The Emperor Angelfish occurs on coral reefs throughout much of the Indian Ocean and Central Pacific; also in the Red Sea and Northern Australia. It is capable of making a curious grunting noise, especially when disturbed. It feeds mainly on sponges, but also on tunicates, algae, and small invertebrates. Juveniles have been known to clean other fish of external parasites. Juvenile emperors look very different from adults: their patterns include white concentric circles against a dark blue background, with smaller bubble-like circles around the edges. A similar pattern can be seen among the juveniles of many other angelfish.
This picture was taken in Detroit Aquarium, MI, in August 2003.
Genus Pomacanthus
Family Pomacanthidae
Superfamily Percoidae
Suborder Percoidei
Order Perciformes
Subclass Actinopterygii
Class Osteichthyes
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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