VERMICULATED ANGELFISH

The Vermiculated Angelfish's(Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus) body is white behind the eye, gradually changing to dark grey posteriorly. The snout is yellow and a broad black band passes through the eye. The caudal fin is grey-blue or yellow.The species inhabits inner coral reefs and lagoons at depths from 1 m to 20 m. Vermiculated Angelfish occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific, from South-east Asia, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to the Solomon Islands. In Australia it is known from the Kimberley region on the northern coast of Western Australia and along the Northern Territory coast. The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. They usually feed on sponges, sea squirts and algae. Male-female pairs were predominant, and the sex-ratio showed only a slight skew towards females. However, the presence of single male, two-female social groups demonstrates that the species is polygamous. Small size of social groups is attributed to a preference for a habitat lacking structural complexity.