Habitat selection and territorial defense behaviors in juvenile cortez angelfish,Pomacanthus zonipectus (gill)

Scuba diving observations in the Gulf of California (Mexico) on juvenile Cortez angelfishes, Pomacanthus zonipectus (Gill), indicate that these fish select and defend territories centered about a rock crevice. By day, they make brief feeding excursions, venturing even over open sandy areas near the rocks. They are substrate feeders, and will remove ectoparasites from other fishes, even attempting to clean human divers. At night they remain in their rock crevices. Laboratory experiments, conducted to quantify habitat-selection and territorial-defense behaviors in juvenile P. zonipectus, revealed that they spend 75% of their time during the day near rocks and 25% over sand in a divided experimental tank. The frequency of attacks on a mirror image increased as the mirror was moved closer to the rock crevice which was the territorial focus.