It seems each new day brings subtle changes to the color and pattern of our juvenile semicircle angelfish. Just about 20 days ago the oval shaped larvae showed hints of their first head stripe. It didn’t take long for the rest of the stripes to follow. Today, they are over an inch long and showing hints of fluorescent blue along the dorsal and anal fins. A few are showing this blue edging on the nape as well, but they still have a few weeks to go before they resemble the juveniles we commonly encounter in the aquarium trade. Perhaps the most intriguing of these juveniles is one with a misguided stripe. On the left side of the body one of the vertical stripes seems to have missed a beat and took a horizontal path toward the head. Time will tell if this pattern will hold throughout the juvenile phase or if more stripes will follow a similar pattern. Either way, it is one of our favorites.
Juvenile semicircle angelfish with an abberant stripe raised at the Tropical Aquaculture Lab.
Matthew L. Wittenrich, PhD
Senior Biological Scientist
Eric Cassiano
Biological Scientist
Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory
University of Florida
