The rock beauty (Holacanthus tricolor), also known as corn sugar, coshubba, rock beasty, catalineta or yellow nanny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the angelfish family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
| Rock beauty | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Pomacanthidae |
| Genus: | Holacanthus |
| Species: | H. tricolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Holacanthus tricolor (Bloch, 1795) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Etymology
editThe generic name Holacanthus comes from Ancient Greek ὅλος (hólos), meaning "full", and ἄκανθα (ákantha), meaning "spine"; the allusion was not explained by Lacépède, who erected the genus in 1802.[3] The specific name tricolor means "three-colored" in Latin, and refers to the fact that adult rock beauties are predominantly yellow, black and red (the red coloration is, however, not prominent, as it only appears on some fins and the operculum margin of certain specimens).[3]
Taxonomy
editThe rock beauty was first formally described in 1795 as Chaetodon tricolor by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) with the type locality given as Brazil.[4] When Lacépède erected the genus Holacanthus, he moved Chaetodon tricolor to this new genus;[5] in was then designated as the type species of Holacanthus by Desmarest in 1856. Some authorities split Holacanthus into two subgenera; this classification places the rock beauty alone in the subgenus Holacanthus and all other species in the subgenus Angelichthys (which was once an independent genus).
Description
editBody shape and size
editThe rock beauty has a deep, oval and strongly compressed body, and attains a maximum total length of 30 cm (12 in).[2] It has a short snout, ending in a small mouth equipped with bristle-like teeth. The preoperculum has a large spine at its angle, and its vertical edge is serrated. The bone lying between the preoperclum and the operculum also has 1–4 large spines.[6]
Coloration
editJuveniles are yellowish on their body and fins, with a blue-margined black spot on the upper posterior part of the body. As they mature, the spot grows, eventually covering most of the body, the lower part of the dorsal fin and the upper part of the anal fin.[7] The head and the anterior quarter of the body remain yellow, as do the pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins. The mouth is purple,[6] and the distal edge of the anal fin and the operculum margin are red (or orange). The upper and lower portions of the iris are both vividly blue.
Meristics
editIn the dorsal fin of a rock beauty there are 14 spines and 17–19 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 18–20 soft rays.
Distribution
editThe rock beauty is found in the western Atlantic, where it ranges from Bermuda and the waters off Georgia and Florida through the Caribbean Sea and the coasts of South America to as south as Rio de Janeiro. It is uncommon and localized in the Gulf of Mexico, where it only occurs at the Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary off Texas and off Veracruz and on the Campeche Bank in Mexico.[1]
Habitat and biology
editHabitat
editThe rock beauty is found at depths between 3–92 m (10–300 ft).[1] Adults occur around jetties, rocky reefs and coral reefs, while juveniles are often seen in areas of fire coral.[2]
Diet
editAdult rock beauties feed largely on sponges but will also eat corals, zoantharians, bryozoans, gorgonians,[8] tunicates and algae. It is also thought that they consume the mucus secreted by other fish.[9]
Reproduction and growth
editAdult rock beauties are normally encountered as pairs and appear to form long-term monogamous pairs. These pairs frequently consist of a larger individual and a smaller one, possibly indicating sexual dimorphism, although there is no sexual dichromatism. During mating, the pair ascends in the water column with their abdomens close together as they release eggs and milt into the water. A female can lay between 25,000 and 75,000 eggs in an evening, and up to 10 million in a season. The transparent eggs are pelagic and hatch after 15–20 hours. The initial larvae have a large yolk sac and lack functional eyes, gut or fins. After 48 hours, the yolk is absorbed and the larvae have more of a resemblance to normal fish. These larvae feed on plankton and grow rapidly, and after around 3–4 weeks from hatching, they settle on the substrate.
Cleaning behavior
editUnlike some related species, the rock beauty does not act as a cleaner fish.
Human interactions
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 Pyle, R.; Myers, R.F.; Rocha, L.A.; Craig, M.T. (2010). "Holacanthus tricolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010 e.T165879A6155521. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165879A6155521.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Holacanthus tricolor". FishBase. December 2019 version.
- 1 2 Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (21 July 2020). "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 1): Families LOBOTIDAE, POMACANTHIDAE, DREPANEIDAE and CHAETODONTIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Holacanthus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Pomacanthidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- 1 2 "Species: Holacanthus tricolor, Rock beauty". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Holacanthus tricolor". Saltcorner!. Bob Goemans. 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Holacanthus tricolor (Rock Beauty Angelfish)" (PDF). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. UWI.
- ↑ "Holacanthus tricolor". Discover Fish. Florida Museum. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ Vincent Chalias (3 January 2020). "Captive Bred Rock Beauty, Bali Aquarich Strikes Again". reef builders.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
External links
edit
- 74美國石美人(臺灣、香港)Holacanthus tricolor(Rock Beauty angelfish) on YouTube
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Holacanthus tricolor". FishBase. June 2006 version.
- Photos of Rock beauty in the Sealife Collection