Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus, commonly known as the bluespotted angelfish, is a marine angelfish in the Pomacanthidae family. Its conservation status is Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1). It is found in the Western Pacific and is endemic to the Philippines.
Adults have a pale orange-brown head and front of the body, with the rest of the body dusky brown to bluish-black covered in dense blue spots. The dorsal and anal fins are dark brown with blue margins, and the tail is vivid yellow. Juveniles are dark brown to pearl black with a yellow stripe on the forward part of the back and around the dorsal fin; their tail is yellow and white. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 17 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 17 soft rays. The species grows up to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in length.
It lives at depths of 14–40 metres in rocky areas with abundant sponges and algae. Its diet consists of sponges and tunicates. Like other angelfish, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning individuals start female, and the dominant ones change to males.
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus was first described in 1976 by Japanese ichthyologists Fujio Yasuda and Yoshiaki Tominaga, with the Philippines as the type locality. Its exact position and closest relatives are unresolved; some proposed it might be a hybrid, but the consistent appearance and numbers support it as a valid species.
Despite seeming rare in the wild, it is fairly common in the aquarium trade and has been bred in captivity.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:29 (CET).