Pomacanthus paru, also known by its common name the French angelfish, is a slow growing[3] coral reef fish from the Caribbean.

[5] The French angelfish was first formally described as Chaetodon paru by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) with the type locality given as Brazil and Jamaica.

[8] The head is deep, with a short snout that ends in a small mouth containing numerous bristle-like teeth.

Juveniles are almost completely black apart from five vertical yellow bands, that run down the entire height of their body, the first around the mouth and the last at the caudal peduncle.

[17] In the Caribbean, certain patches of the ocean floor may be used by young green sea turtles as "cleaning stations".

At these stations, juvenile P. paru primarily clean the sea turtles’ heads, carapace, and plastron.

[16] French angelfish are common on rocky and coral reefs where it is normally encountered in pairs, frequently in the vicinity of sea fans.

Its diet comprises sponges,[4] algae, bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians, hydroids, coral[18] and tunicates.

Species recorded as being clients of juvenile French angelfish, include jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes and wrasses.

[1][2] These fish are active during the daylight hours, but seek shelter in their designated hiding spot where they return every night.

[3] In a captive specimen in Georgia, researchers found endoparasites (parasites that live within the host body) of the genus Enterogyrus on its foregut wall.

The species forms monogamous pairs,[10][22] unlike its closest relative, the grey angelfish, which mates in polygamous groups.

[10] The longevity of large-bodied pomacanthids, their slow growth, their late sexual maturity, along with heavy exploitation of them from the aquarium trade,[10] puts French angelfish and related species at risk of becoming more endangered from human impacts, as the slow rate by which these fish reproduce means they cannot quickly replenish their population.

[1] It is harvested for food, its flesh being considered highly palatable, although it has been reported to be a source of ciguatera poisoning in humans.