Chaetodipterus faber                                        Photo Claire Sunquist ©

The Atlantic Spadefish, also called an Atlantic Spade or angelfish, can be seen in the shallow waters of Florida. They are called spadefish because their bodies look like the spades on playing cards. They can easily be identified by the dark bars on their silvery sides and can sometimes be confused with sheepshead.

Spadefish can be found in large groups near mangroves, beaches, and reefs. The juvenile spadefish often stay in very shallow water and swim at an angle to look like dead leaves or mangrove pods.

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