{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Speciesbox | image = Pomacanthus asfur 2.jpg | image_caption = | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Pyle, R. |author2=Rocha, L.A. |author3=Craig, M.T. |date=2010 |title=''Pomacanthus asfur'' |volume=2010 |article-number=e.T165839A6145733 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165839A6145733.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Pomacanthus asfur | authority = (Forsskål, 1775) | synonyms = *''Chaetodon asfur'' <small>Forsskål, 1775</small> *''Arusetta asfur'' <small>(Forsskål, 1775)</small> | synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{Fishbase|Pomacanthus|asfur|month=December|year=2019}}</ref> }} '''''Pomacanthus asfur''''', the '''Arabian angelfish''', is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Indian Ocean.
==Description== ''Pomacanthus asfur'' has a completely different colour and pattern as a juvenile from that of the adult. Juveniles have a blue body which is marked with pale-blue and white stripes. As they mature they develop yellow markings on their dorsal and caudal fins. Until as fully mature adults they have an overall dark blue body with a blackish face, a yellow caudal fin and a broad crescent-shaped yellow band running vertically across the flanks.<ref name = Saltcorner>{{cite web | url = http://www.saltcorner.com/AquariumLibrary/browsespecies.php?CritterID=105&filter=0 | title = ''Pomacanthus asfur'' | access-date = 28 February 2021| publisher = Bob Goemans | year = 2012 | work = Saltcorner!}}</ref> The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 19–20 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 19–20 soft rays, the pectoral fins each contain 17 or 18 rays.<ref name = USGS>{{cite web | url = https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=877 | title = ''Pomacanthus asfur'' (Forsskål, 1775) | access-date = 28 February 2021 | work = Nonindigenous Aquatic Species | publisher = USGS}}</ref> This species attains a maximum total length of {{cvt|40|cm}}.<ref name = Fishbase/>
==Distribution== ''Pomacanthus asfur'' is principally found in the western Indian Ocean. Here it is found in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and along the coast of eastern Africa as far south as Zanzibar.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It is also found in the Persian Gulf.<ref>Jawad, L. A., Ziyadi, M. S. F., Näslund, J., Pohl, T., & Al-Mukhtar, M. A. (2018). Checklist of the fishes of the newly discovered coral reef in Iraq, north-west Arabian Gulf, with 10 new records to the Arabian Gulf. ''Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology'', ''24''(3), 89-138. </ref> It has been recorded, as a probable release of aquarium specimens, on a few occasions off the eastern coast of Florida<ref name = USGS/> and from Malta.<ref name="NMBDR">{{cite journal | author1 = P.K. Karachle | author2 = A. Angelidis | author3 = G. Apostolopoulos | author4 = D. Ayas | author5 = M. Ballesteros | author6 = C. Bonnici | author7 = M.M. Brodersen | author8 = L. Castriota | author9 = N. Chalari | author10 = J.M. Cottalorda | author11 = F. Crocetta | author12 = A. Deidun | author13 = Z. Dodo | author14 = A. Dogrammatzi | author15 = J. Dulčić | author16 = F. Fiorentino | author17 = O. Gönülal | author18 = J.G. Harmelin | author19 = G. Insaco | author20 = D. Izquierdo-Gómez | author21 = A. Izquierdo-Muñoz | author22 = A Joksimović | author23 = S. Kavada | author24 = M.A.E. Malaquias | author25 = E. Madernas | author26 = D. Massi | author27 = P. Micarelli | author28 = D. Minchin | author29 = U. Önal | author30 = P.Ovalis | author31 = D Poursanidis | author32 = A. Siapatis | author33 = E. Sperone | author34 = A. Spinelli | author35 = C Stamouli | author36 = F. Tiralongo | author37 = S. Tunçer | author38 = D. Yaglioglu | author39 = B. Zava | author40 = A. Zenetos | display-authors = 3 | title = New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2016) | year = 2016 | journal = Mediterranean Marine Science | volume = 17 | issue = 1 | pages = 230–252 | doi = 10.12681/mms.1684| bibcode = 2016MedMS..17..230K | doi-access = free | hdl = 2445/105358 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>
Several specimens have been observed in the Mediterranean waters of Israel and Lebanon.
==Habitat and biology== ''Pomacanthus asfur'' has been recorded at depths between {{convert|3|and|30|m|ft}}.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It is a common species where there are relatively sheltered inshore reefs which have rich growth of soft and hard corals with a few patches of silty seabed. Their diet is dominated by sponges and tunicates.<ref name = Fishbase/> It is a solitary and shy fish that divers find difficult to approach and it is normally recorded near caves or crevices in the reef.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite, the larger fish in a pair will change sex to become male.<ref name = reefapp>{{cite web | url = https://reefapp.net/en/encyclopedia/pomacanthus-asfur | title = Pomacanthus asfur | access-date = 28 February 2021 | website = reefapp.net}}</ref>
==Systematics== ''Pomacanthus asfur'' had its first formal described published in 1775 by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius (1745–1808) but it has commonly been attributed to Finnish born Swede Peter Forsskål (1732–1763) the type locality is given as Al-Luhayya, Yemen.<ref name = CofF>{{Cof genus | genus = Pomacanthus | access-date = 28 February 2021}}</ref> Some authorities place this species in the subgenus ''Arusetta'', of which it is the type species<ref name = CofF2>{{Cof family | family = Pomacanthidae | access-date = 28 February 2021}}</ref> The specific name ''asfur'' is this species Arabic name in Yemen.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = https://www.etyfish.org/acanthuriformes1/ | title =Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 1): Families LOBOTIDAE, POMACANTHIDAE, DREPANEIDAE and CHAETODONTIDAE | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | access-date = 28 February 2021 | date = 21 July 2020 | author1 = Christopher Scharpf | author2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}</ref>
==Utilisation== ''Pomacanthus asfur'' is infrequently found in the aquarium trade.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It has been bred in captivity and captive bred specimens are sometimes marketed as "half-moon angelfish".<ref name = Saltcorner/>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== * {{Wikispecies-inline|Pomacanthus asfur|''Pomacanthus asfur''}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1057470}}
asfur Category:Marine fauna of West Asia Category:Fish described in 1775 Category:Taxa named by Peter Forsskål Category:Fish of Saudi Arabia