Juvenile angelfish - which one?

[Searcaigh]

I did a dive off Hollywood Beach (FL) yesterday and there were many juvenile angelfish, although I don't know which species.

Can anyone ID this one?

Thanks in advance

 

[CuzzA]

Juvenile Queen Angelfish.

 

[Skeptic14]

Queen Angelfish juvenile maybe?

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks for your feedback but none of the adults I saw look like a Queen Angelfish, they were more Grey or French Angelfish, however I will check with ScubaJenny as she dives this site frequently.

 

[RyanT]

It is a juvenile queen or blue angelfish. The juvenile french an grays are black and yellow.

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks Ryan, I did photograph some black and yellow ones but without good results.

 

[CuzzA]

And to confuse things further, queens and blues will sometimes cross breed, creating rare hybrids.

 

[RyanT]

And to confuse things further, queens and blues will sometimes cross breed, creating rare hybrids.

Indeed, which is why I wouldn't commit to one or the other species, especially in juvenile coloration. In biology, most species "boundaries" are fairly distinct, meaning that the animals cannot interbreed. Some species, are however, still genetically enough similar that they do generate viable hybrids. The queen/blue angels are one of them!