DIVE TIME By Tim Grollimund
Angels on the reef
Seven species of the colorful fish inhabit Atlantic waters
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Posted - Friday, September 30, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
When I became a certified diver in the 1980s, the next logical step was to learn about the animals. Since I began diving, I have always had a camera. I read books and diving magazines. I watched all the videos at the dive shop. I read about the next destination on my bucket list. I wanted to know about the critters so I could learn to get the best photos. And there was always one group, in any water, that floated to the top of the list: Angelfish.
I always try to shoot (photograph) angelfish. My image inventory probably has more angelfish photos than any other group. They are the most colorful and beautiful animals on the reef, in my opinion. Some are very shy, like Rock Beauties. Others show varying degrees of aloofness, depending on the conditions and circumstances. And some can be very friendly — or most likely indifferent — to my loud and bubbly presence.
Best spots for angels
The best spots for angels I’ve seen are the deeper parts of Molasses and French reefs, since that is also the place we find the highest population and variety of sponges. Those deeper reef sections are always filled to the brim, and many times offer the opportunity for two or more angels in the frame. The largest individual specimens of any angel species I have seen have been on the deep reefs, effortlessly cruising among the barrel and vase sponges.
It’s also a bit of a thrill when I see the same animal — some of them have little nicks and scars. Life is tough on the reef. The simplest comparison I can make is seeing the same barnacle pattern on the shell of a sea turtle. You know it’s the same animal — but do they know I am the same diver? And do they know all I want to do is hang out and watch them cruise through the sponge jungle? I’m sure they couldn’t care less, but it’s a fulfilling part of a dive to see the same folks going about their business. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood anytime I can have a close encounter with an angel.
Using our familiar Reef Fish Identification books (see www.reef.org), we find seven species of angelfish and one hybrid in the Caribbean, and a whopping 51 species in the Pacific. The question of why there are so many more in the Pacific is beyond the space we have here. But I’m sure it’s an interesting answer. Other helpful websites are Fishbase (www.fishbase.org) and MarineBio (www.marinebio.org).
The two branches of the local Pomacanthidae family include Queen, Blue, Gray, French and Rock Beauties. The hybrid is a cross between French and Blue angels, called a Townsend.
Angelfish mainly eat sponges but also like to munch on tunicates, algae, gorgonians, hydroids and seagrasses. They are often found in pairs, like butterflyfish.
Angelfish are quite territorial during the mating season. Just last week I saw a queen angel chasing another queen — I’ve never seen angelfish move that fast. I thought they both were being chased by something else. But all of a sudden the chaser stopped, turned around, and resumed his normal, slow, graceful meandering among the sponges. I’d never seen that behavior before among angelfish.
Butterflyfish and angelfish were originally classified as members of the same family. The distinguishing feature that led to the separation was a spine on the gill cover that angelfish have, and butterflyfish do not.
It makes me wonder who was in charge of naming things. Carl Linnaeus, known as the father of taxonomy, is credited with the development of the Genus-species (binomial, or two-part) naming system scientists use today. He is personally credited with naming 4,400 animals and 7,700 plants.
In 1735 he published the first edition of “Systema Naturae,” his definitive work on the naming standard. Just go to YouTube and type Carl Linnaeus in the search box. But I have another thought: If you notice his name, he also has that funny “ae” vowel thing going on. Could it be that’s where some of those spellings came from — like Pomacanthidae? Just a theory — a hidden legacy like the Holy Grail or the Crystal Skulls that might divulge something far deeper and hidden from us normal folks.
There is something else Linnaeus invented that is perhaps his most pragmatic real-life application — index cards. How else do you think he kept all those names straight? Google “Indexing Nature: Carl Linnaeus” for a paper that describes his work methods and even has photos of some of his original index cards. Or better yet, visit the Linnean Society of London at www.linnean.org. This was a really important guy — the Isaac Newton of names, at the very least. Maybe he even named the apple [Malus domestica] that conked Newton on the head when he discovered gravity.
As a non-scientist all this classification stuff is Greek to me. This is mostly my fault, since my only interest in high school biology was the anatomy of my pretty blonde lab partner Cindy. As for chemistry, the only reactions I had were to my classmate Sue while trying to determine the atomic weight of her molecules. What a year! No need for genus and species in this head. Maybe one of these days I’ll see the mermaids again. But in the mean time I’ll settle for all the angels I can find.
