Le gray angelfish is morphologically similar to the French angelfish and is often confused with it. The gray angelfish is a large fish measuring about 16 inches in length.

The gray angelfish has a flattened, disk-shaped body extended by a single continuous dorsal fin and an anal fin, both ending in a very pointed tip.

The gray angelfish is a majestic fish with coloration showing different shades of gray: its head is uniformly gray while its body is covered with dark gray scales bordered by lighter gray, forming a reticulated pattern. Its mouth is small and white. The inner surface of the pectoral fins is golden yellow. However, the gray angelfish displays this coloration only in adulthood. As a juvenile, it looks completely different. Juveniles are difficult to distinguish from French angelfish juveniles, as they have a black coloration crossed vertically by five yellow stripes.

The gray angelfish is found in tropical waters of the western Atlantic ocean, from Florida in the north to the coast of Brazil in the south. The gray angelfish is also present in the Gulf of Mexico, and more occasionally in the Caribbean sea along the coasts of many islands of the Antilles such as the Bahamas and Guadeloupe.

The gray angelfish lives in shallow coral reef waters from the surface down to about 65 feet deep, where it searches for food. At night, the reef provides shelter from predators.

The gray angelfish is not solitary and is rarely seen alone. It is most often observed swimming in pairs.

The gray angelfish feeds mainly on sponges but also supplements its diet with algae and invertebrates such as gorgonian polyps.

At the juvenile stage, young gray angelfish feed on parasites and help clean other fish by removing unwanted hosts. They act as cleaning stations for various fish such as moray eels, snappers, wrasses, and sea robins.

The gray angelfish is oviparous and reproduces sexually. The male and female perform a back-and-forth swimming movement between the surface and the bottom. Once reaching the bottom, they swim slowly then accelerate while staying close to each other so that the eggs released by the female can be fertilized by the male.

The gray angelfish is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The gray angelfish appears in the IUCN Red List since 2010 within the category Least Concern !

Not shy and sometimes curious like the French angelfish, the gray angelfish can be approached if you move slowly and smoothly. You will most often observe gray angelfish in pairs.