Sealife guideThe french angelfishPomacanthus paru
Last updated on 08/05/2026 at 12:50 AM
Taxonomy
- Common name: French angelfish
- French name: Poisson ange français
- Spanish name: Pez angel frances
- Scientific name: Pomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787)
- Family name: Pomacanthidae
- Order name: Acanthuriformes
- Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The french angelfish is a large fish, averaging around 12 inches in length, though specimens can grow up to 16 inches long. The french angelfish has a disk-shaped, flattened body.
Yellow is a color that highlights and accentuates the silhouette of the french angelfish !
The french angelfish is a majestic fish with its black body and yellow-edged scales that give it a golden sheen when viewed from the side. However, the french angelfish only sports this coloration in adulthood. As a juvenile, it is characterized by its black body with vertical yellow stripes running along its length.
Its head is a lighter gray-blue compared to its body, and the area around its mouth is whitish. The color yellow accentuates and highlights the french angelfish's silhouette: its eyes are ringed with yellow and have a thin blue line on the lower part and a yellow spot can be seen at the base of its pectoral fins. Its dorsal fin, edged in yellow, extends into a yellow filament.
Geographic range
The french angelfish is found in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic ocean, the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico: from
Florida down to Brazil, including the
Bahamas and various islands of the Antilles.
Habitat
The french angelfish is a reef fish that provides numerous hiding places when necessary and for nighttime rest. The french angelfish is typically found in shallow waters — about 20 feet deep — but can also be seen down to 328 feet. It does not favor solitude and is often seen accompanied by another of its kind.
Diet
During the day, the french angelfish searches the reef for food, primarily feeding on
sponges, and to a lesser extent, algae and gorgonians. As a juvenile, it serves as a cleaner fish at
cleaning stations removing parasites from other fish.
Reproduction
The french angelfish is
oviparous and monogamous, fiercely defending its territory from other neighboring pairs.
Did you know ?
The french angelfish is listed as many other marine species within The
IUCN Red List of threatened species. The french angelfish appears in the
IUCN Red List since 2010 within the category Least Concern !
Tips for observing
Not particularly shy and sometimes curious, the french angelfish can be approached gently. You will most often see it in pairs !
The french angelfish is a majestic fish with its black body and yellow-edged scales !
The video gallery
A pair of french angelfish
Arabian angelfish
(Pomacanthus asfur)
Blueface angelfish
(Pomacanthus xanthometopon)
Bluering angelfish
(Pomacanthus annularis)
Emperor angelfish
(Pomacanthus imperator)
Gray angelfish
(Pomacanthus arcuatus)
Semicircle angelfish
(Pomacanthus semicirculatus)
Sixbar angelfish
(Pomacanthus sexstriatus)
Yellow blotch angelfish
(Pomacanthus maculosus)
Within the same family
Bicolor angelfish
(Centropyge bicolor)
Black-spot angelfish
(Genicanthus melanospilos)
Blackstriped angelfish
(Genicanthus lamarck)
Blacktail angelfish
(Centropyge eibli)
Passer angelfish
(Holacanthus passer)
Rock beauty
(Holacanthus tricolor)
Two spined angelfish
(Centropyge bispinosa)
Yellow-ear angelfish
(Apolemichthys xanthotis)
Discover also
Blackwedged butterflyfish
(Chaetodon falcula)
Blue chromis
(Azurina cyanea)
Crocodile snake eel
(Brachysomophis henshawi)
Eastern triangle butterflyfish
(Chaetodon baronessa)
Elegant sculpin
(Bero elegans)
Reticulated sandperch
(Parapercis tetracantha)
Thornback cowfish
(Lactoria fornasini)
Yellowstripe wormfish
(Gunnellichthys viridescens)
The marine species in the Caribbean
Bladed fire coral
(Millepora complanata)
Blue chromis
(Azurina cyanea)
Caribbean giant barrel sponge
(Xestospongia muta)
Glasseye snapper
(Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)
Great barracuda
(Sphyraena barracuda)
Hogfish
(Lachnolaimus maximus)
Leatherback sea turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)
Sharptail eel
(Myrichthys breviceps)
Dive centers
'Les Ilets' dive center
Noa dive center
