Cherub Angelfish/Cherubfish

ANIMAL:
Cherub Angelfish/Cherubfish Centropyge argi

Type of Animal:
Marine Angelfish

Habitat:
Coral rubble, reef rubble, coral bottoms, rubble bottoms, rocky areas, sand-gravel areas, sea anemone areas, soft bottom areas (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass), coral areas, rock/coral/oyster reefs, soft bottom reefs/reef edges, sandy bottoms, rubble zones, found at depths of 16-557.74 ft

Location(s):
W Atlantic from N Carolina through Caribbean & NE coast of South America

Appearance:
Deep blue to purplish deep oval laterally compressed body w/ orange-yellow head & chest

Food/Diet:
Marine algae, small shrimp, krill, copepods, zooplankton, phytoplankton, cyclops, vegetable matter, large polyp stone corals, marine worms

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in aquaculture & aquariums.

Lifestyle:
Small schools of a male w/ 1-5 females

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Fry
Group: School

Weight:
Male: 1.4-2 lbs
Female: 1-1.6 lbs

Gestation:
3 days

Life Span:
3-5 years

Body Length:
Male: 2.5-2.8 in
Female: 2.3-2.4 in

Main predators are larger fish & sharks.

These fish dart into sheltered areas if scared.

These fish rather popular in aquaculture.

Males extremely territorial, sometimes fighting to the death.

Maturity reached at around 6 months.

These fish are slow swimmers.

These fish utilize chemical signals carried in urine/bile to communicate social status.

These fish are quite curious but can be rather skittish.

Skin mucus provides protection against parasites/infections as well as allowing them to move faster.

These fish have very high metabolism.

Females lay up to 500 eggs in spawning session.

They’re broadcast spawners, releasing eggs/sperm simultaneously into water column.

These are very active fish.

Dorsal/ventral fins lend stability in swimming, tail fins help it propel through water, & pectoral fins are for locomotion & side-to-side movement.

Larval stage lasts about 2.5 months, then transitioning to juvenile stage until maturity.

Fun Fact(s):
Like all marine angelfish, these fish born female w/ more dominant/larger females becoming males. Most often occurs when there’s no dominant male around so high-ranking female becomes male.

Also called Cherub Pygmy Angelfish, Pygmy Cherub Angelfish, Yellowface Pygmy Angelfish, Atlantic Pygmy Angelfish, Caribbean Pygmy Angelfish, & Blue Pygmy Angelfish.

Like other dwarf angels, they’re quite difficult to breed in captivity.

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