The French Angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, is a large angelfish of
the family Pomacanthidae, found in the western Atlantic from
Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil, and also the Gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean, including the Antilles, and the eastern
Atlantic from around Ascension Island and St. Paul's Rocks, at
depths of between 2 and 100 m. Length is up to 41 cm. The French
angelfish is common in shallow reefs, occurs usually in pairs
often near sea fans. It feeds on sponges, algae, bryozoans,
zoantharians, gorgonians and tunicates. Juveniles tend cleaning
stations where they service a broad range of clients, including
jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes, and wrasses. At
the station the cleaner displays a fluttering swimming and when
cleaning it touches the clients with its pelvic fins. The adult
background coloration is black but the scales of the body,
except those at the front from nape to abdomen, are rimmed with
golden yellow. Furthermore the pectoral fins have a broad
orange-yellow bar, the dor