Purplemask angelfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Purplemask angelfish |
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The purplemask angelfish (Centropyge venusta) is a beautiful and colorful fish. It lives in the ocean, specifically in the western Pacific. This fish is a type of marine angelfish. Sometimes, you might see it in special aquariums.
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What Does It Look Like?
The purplemask angelfish has bright blue and yellow colors. The front and lower part of its body are mostly yellow. Its snout, which is like its nose, is also yellow. A blue patch sits on its neck, separating the yellow areas.
Color Patterns
A large blue area starts near its dorsal fin (the fin on its back). This blue covers the back part of its body and its tail fin. The fins on its belly and under its tail are yellow with blue edges. The exact mix of blue and yellow can be a little different for each fish.
Size and Fins
This angelfish has 14 spines and 16 soft rays in its dorsal fin. Its anal fin has 3 spines and 15 soft rays. The purplemask angelfish can grow up to about 12 centimeters (about 4.7 inches) long.
Where Does It Live?
The purplemask angelfish lives in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. You can find it around the Ryukyu Islands and Izu Islands in southern Japan. It also lives near Taiwan and the northern part of Luzon in the Philippines.
Its Home and Habits
The purplemask angelfish lives in water that is 10 to 40 meters (about 33 to 130 feet) deep. It is a very shy fish. It likes to hide in caves and under rocky overhangs. You will usually see it alone, often swimming upside down on the cave ceilings. It does not usually form pairs or large groups. We don't know what it eats in the wild. But when kept in aquariums, it needs live food.
How It Got Its Name
The purplemask angelfish was first officially described in 1969. Two Japanese fish experts, Fujio Yasuda and Yoshiaki Tominaga, gave it the name Holocanthus venustus. They found the first one near Izu Ōshima in Sagami Bay. The name venusta means "beautiful" in Latin.
In Aquariums
The purplemask angelfish is quite rare in the aquarium trade. Because it is so rare, it can be very expensive when it is available. Good news is that people have now learned how to breed and raise these fish in captivity. This means more of them might be available in the future.
