Queen Angelfish Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Deep, disc-shaped body colored in shimmering blue-green with each scale outlined in yellow-orange
• Bright orange to yellow tail fin
• Distinctive dark blue spot ringed by a bright blue circle on the forehead, resembling a crown
• Blue rim along the dorsal and anal fins, which extend into soft points at the rear
• Adults reach about 18 inches (45 cm)
• Juveniles are blue with curved yellow vertical bars, lacking the crown spot
• Pectoral and pelvic fins are bright yellow, contrasting with the blue-green body

Common look-alikes

• Blue Angelfish: very similar overall coloring, but lacks the distinct crown spot on the forehead and shows a plainer blue face
• Queen x Blue Angelfish hybrid: intermediate features, often with a partial or faint crown spot rather than the Queen's sharply defined one

Where you'll see one

Queen Angelfish are found on coral reefs throughout the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean, typically at depths of 10-70 feet, where adults patrol reef faces and ledges either alone or in pairs.