Pomacanthus imperator

Super Group: 
Opisthokonta
Phylum: 
Chordata
Sub-Phylum: 
Vertebrata
Class: 
Actinopteri
Order: 
Perciformes
Sub-Order: 
Percoidei
Family: 
Pomacanthidae
Genus: 
Pomacanthus
Species: 
imperator
Authority: 
Bloch 1787
Synonym(s): 
Acanthochaetodon nicobariensis (Bloch & Schneider 1801)
Chaetodon imperator (Bloch 1787)
Chaetodon nicobariensis (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

Diagnosis

Diagnosis_Genus: Pomacanthus Lacepède. Teeth are small, flexible and mobile; body and tail are very compressed; small scales on the dorsal or other fins, or the height of the upper body or at least equal to its length; the opening of the mouth is small; muzzle is more or less advanced; one or more long spines and serrated points at seal; a single dorsal fin.

Diagnosis_Species: Chaetodon imperator Bloch. L'empereur du Japon. The body is longitudinally striated, the dorsal fin is lined with fourteen spines. P. XVIII. V. I/VI. A. III/XXIII. C. XVI. D. XIV/XXXIV

Body_adults_length: 30-40 cm
Body_adults_length_captivity: 20-25 cm
Weight_adult_max: 1100 g
Sequence_tRNA: KP218259 (Ye et al. 2015)

Etymology

The name of the genus comes from the Greek “poma” = cover and “akantha” = spine, with reference to the spine on the operculum. The name of the species “imperator” means in Latin emperor, with reference to its majestic appearance.

Type species

The type species of the genus Pomacanthus is Pomacanthus arcuatus (Linnaeus 1758).

Type illustration / Type locality / Type specimen

Type specimen: ZMB 8570
Type locality: Japan sea
Type illustration: page 51, Pl. 194. (Bloch 1787)

Ecology

Pomacanthus imperator lives in Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian, Line and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and the Austral Islands (Fishbase).

Substrate: water
Salinity: marine
pH: 7.0-8.5
Temperature: 22-26°C
Oxygen_level: oxic
Depth: 0-70 m
Habitat: coastal
Depth: pelagic
 

Life cycle

Pomacanthus imperator has a sexual dimorphism (color and size): the male has darker blue as well as a black mask on the eye while the female is more gray (Aquabase.org).
The life span of the Pomacanthus imperator can be up to 25 years (Aquabase.org).
Longevity: more than 3 years
Reproduction_mode: sexual_hermaphrodite_protogynous
Spawning_method: external fertilization in the water column

Feeding behaviour

Omnivorous

Mode of locomotion

Motility: motile_swimming

Observation site(s)

SYMBIONTS