Rock Beauty Angelfish: Holacanthus tricolor
The Rock Beauty (Holacanthus tricolor) lives in shallow water over coral and rocky reefs, sometimes offshore, in Bermuda; from Georgia to Brazil, including the West Indies; offshore reefs in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Like many other Angelfish, the Rock Beauty feeds upon sponges, tunicates, and algae. Angelfish is a name used for several different fishes, including the true angelfishes, (Pomacanthidae) and the butterfly fishes (Chaetodontidae). Angelfishes differ from butterfly fishes in having a spine near the lower edge of the gill cover. These laterally compressed fishes are among the most beautiful of the tropical reef fishes.

Print Number - AF023
Limited Edition signed color photography for sale by Stephen Brunson

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Rock Beauty, Holacanthus tricolor Statistics:

Size:            15 - 17 inches
Lifespan:       Approximately 15 years.
Breeding:      The Queen and Blue Angelfishes commonly hybridize, producing offspring mixed in appearance.
Habitat:        Shallow coral reefs and walls in depths of 100 ft. or less.
Diet:             Sponges, algae, and small invertebrates, such as bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians and tunicates
Distribution:  From Florida to the north coast of South America, including Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico
Habit:           Usually Peaceful

Groupers are highly valued food fishes. Besides the Nassau Grouper, species commonly fished in the West Indies and the United States, include the red grouper, the rock hind, and the warsaw grouper. The well-known jewfish, or spotted grouper, found from Florida to Brazil, is among the largest, reaching about 700 lbs. Species common to the Pacific coast of California and Mexico are the spotted cabrilla, the gulf grouper, and the broomtail grouper.

Many species of grouper undergo sex reversal, from male to female, producing sperm when young and eggs later on. Sometimes they produce both, but whether they can self-fertilize is not known.

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