Queen Angelfish

The Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) is a species of ray-finned fish that lives in tropical marine waters. It is one of a handful of species known from the former Jagdas that made the crossing to Rathnir. It is commonly found today along reefs in the Sea of Pearls.

Description
The queen angelfish has a deep, oval-shaped body which is strongly lateral compressed. It has a short snout with a small mouth which contains small teeth, like the bristles of a brush. The juveniles have a yellow anterior body turning brownish yellow halfway between the head and the vivid yellow caudal fin, the pectoral fin being a similar bright yellow. They are marked with a number of narrow white vertical stripes. The dorsal and anal fins have vivid blue margins. The adults have bluish yellow body with a yellow face and area of blue rings on the chest and forehead. They also have blue lips, yellow pectoral fins and caudal fins. The blue margined dorsal and anal fins have long yellow streamers extending rear wards from them. The distinctive vivid blue 'crown' on the forehead is the main feature distinguishing this species from the sympatric and rather similar Holocanthus alteniquiensis. The dorsal fin contains 14 spines and 19-21 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 20-21 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 45 centimeters (18 in).

Distribution
Originally native to Jagdas, the Queen Angelfish has become introduced to Rathnir- or more specifically, the Sea of Pearls- as the Audalad moved from Jagdas to Rathnir. The fish was once chosen as the regional fish of Shyr-Arrak, and due to their significance living Queen Angelfish were brought to Rathnir by refugees from the original Yimmu-Audal.

The Queen Angelfish is not native to the Sea of Pearls, but its introduction does not seem to be cause for concern for the native marine environment. More research is needed to determine the true ecologic impact of the fish's presence.

Habitat and biology
Queen angelfish are benthic on coral reefs and it occurs from shallow waters close to the shore down to around 70 meters (230 ft). They are typically encountered either as solitary fish or as pairs, swimming among gorgonians and corals. Here they feed on a various invertebrates such as sponges, tunicates, jellyfish, and corals, and also on plankton and algae. Analysis of stomach contents has indicated that most of their diet comprises sponges. Juveniles act as cleaner fish and set up cleaning stations where they pick ectoparasites off bigger fish.

The adults may form a long-term monogamous pair bond. Each pair spawns by rising together upwards in the water, their abdomens almost touching. They then release their eggs and milt into the water. The female can lay between 25 and 75 thousand eggs in an evening and up to ten million eggs during each spawning season. The transparent eggs are pelagic and float in the water, hatching after 15-20 hours. The initial larvae have a large yolk sac and lack functional eyes, gut or fins but after 48 hours the yolk is absorbed and the larvae have more of a resemblance to normal fish. These larvae feed on plankton and grow rapidly and after around 3-4 weeks from hatching, when they have reached a length of 15 to 20 millimetres (0.59 to 0.79 in) they settle on the substrate.