Rock beauty angelfish

Photo: mdchachi · CC BY-NC

Rock beauty angelfish are territorial residents of Caribbean reef rubble zones and rock habitats, and Le Cap's volcanic ridge structure with its mix of hard substrate and encrusting growth is ideal rock beauty habitat. Adults are unmistakable — vivid yellow head and tail flanking a jet-black body — and maintain feeding territories centered on specific coral heads or sponge clusters they defend year-round. They feed on tunicates, zoantharians, and algae, and adults are typically seen in pairs. Their preference for rocky over sandy substrate makes them a diagnostic species for volcanic reef environments.