Centropyge
Encyclopedia
Centropyge is a genus of marine angelfish
es. The genus is the largest within the Pomacanthid family, comprising over 30 described species. Species in this group do not exceed 15 cm (approximately six inches) in length and live in haremic structures with one dominant male and multiple females. Although it is hard to identify their gender; females are often shorter and more round finned (which is more obvious when looking at a group of specimens). Like many other reef fish and all marine angelfish, species in this genus are protogynous hermaphrodite
s, meaning that they start their adult lives as females and the dominant individual in a group can change to a male within days. A reversal of this sex change is possible if the social status of the individual changes, it is however a process that requires much more time (weeks to months).
Marine angelfish
Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific oceans. The family contains seven genera and approximately 86 species...
es. The genus is the largest within the Pomacanthid family, comprising over 30 described species. Species in this group do not exceed 15 cm (approximately six inches) in length and live in haremic structures with one dominant male and multiple females. Although it is hard to identify their gender; females are often shorter and more round finned (which is more obvious when looking at a group of specimens). Like many other reef fish and all marine angelfish, species in this genus are protogynous hermaphrodite
Protogynous hermaphrodite
A protogynous hermaphrodite is an animal that begins its life cycle as a female. As the animal ages, based on internal or external triggers, it shifts sex to become a male animal. Many fish, such as the gag grouper, undergo just such a metamorphosis. Male fecundity goes up greatly with age more...
s, meaning that they start their adult lives as females and the dominant individual in a group can change to a male within days. A reversal of this sex change is possible if the social status of the individual changes, it is however a process that requires much more time (weeks to months).
In aquaria
Centropyge prefer matured reef tanks due to the usually high water quality and the often used "live rock". In nature most Centropyge sp. feed on algae, sponges and small benthic invertebrates. Having an abundance of well cured live rock will help to supplement their diet. This is also in the interest of the aquarist, as underfed Centropyge angels may nip at corals and sessile invertebrates. The difficulty of keeping varies from species to species, as does their rarity and correspondingly their price. Centropyge are social species that live in loose groups in the wild. So if multiple Centropyge are kept to a tank, they will establish a pecking order. To reduce the stresses of establishing the dominance in the group it is wise to choose semi-adult specimens or specimens of different size. Aggression levels differ considerably between species, which should be taken into account when trying to house more than one species per tank (adapting the stocking list and order of addition to the tank). Dwarf angels can be quite shy initially, hiding in corals, caves and crevices but become more outgoing when they have established their territory - if they are kept with appropriate tank mates and in appropriately sized tanks.Species
- Abes Angelfish, Centropyge abei Allen, Young & Colin, 2006.
- Orangeback angelfishOrangeback angelfishThe orangeback angelfish or African pygmy angelfish is an omnivorous marine angelfish. It has a blue body and yellow to orange colouration from the head and across the back. It is easily confused with the cherubfish , but in the latter the yellow to orange colouration only covers the head...
, Centropyge acanthops (Norman, 1922). - CherubfishCherubfishThe cherubfish, or pygmy angelfish is a gentle omnivorous marine angelfish, with a metallic blue body and yellow to orange colouration in parts of the head only. It is native to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and has a maximum length of 8 cm...
, Centropyge argi Woods & Kanazawa, 1951. - Golden angelfish, Centropyge aurantia Randall & Wass, 1974.
- Flameback angelfishFlameback angelfishThe flameback angelfish or flameback pygmy angelfish is an omnivorous marine angelfish, with blue body and yellow to orange colouration from the face to middle or end of dorsal fin...
, Centropyge aurantonotus Burgess, 1974. - Bicolor angelfishBicolor angelfishThe bicolor angelfish is a marine angelfish, with an easily recognisable yellow front and a dark blue rear completed with a yellow tail. This species is widely distributed in the South Pacific...
, Centropyge bicolor (BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1787). - Twospined angelfishTwospined angelfishThe Twospined Angelfish, Dusky Angelfish, or Coral Beauty , is a herbivorous marine angelfish.Some individuals have a dark purplish blue body with yellow to red stripes, and usually an electric blue rim; in others are orange stripes dominate, with the purple distributed in spots...
or coral beauty angelfish, Centropyge bispinosa (Günther, 1860). - Peppermint angelfish, Centropyge boylei Pyle & Randall, 1992.
- Cocos-Keeling angelfish, Centropyge colini Smith-Vaniz & Randall, 1974.
- Blue Mauritius angelfish, Centropyge debelius Pyle, 1990.
- Blacktail angelfishBlacktail angelfishThe Blacktail angelfish , also known as the Red stripe angelfish, Orangelined angelfish, or Eibl dwarf angel is a species of marine angelfish found near reefs in the Indo-Pacific.- Description :...
, Centropyge eibli Klausewitz, 1963. - Rusty angelfish, Centropyge ferrugataCentropyge ferrugataCentropyge ferrugata is a marine angelfish from the Western Pacific Ocean. It sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 10cm in length....
Randall & Burgess, 1972. - Orange angelfish, Centropyge fisheri (Snyder, 1904).
- Whitetail angelfish, Centropyge flavicaudaCentropyge flavicaudaCentropyge flavicauda is a Marine angelfish from the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 8cm in length....
Fraser-Brunner, 1933. - Yellowfin angelfish, Centropyge flavipectoralis Randall & Klausewitz, 1977.
- Lemonpeel angelfishLemonpeel angelfishThe lemonpeel angelfish is an omnivorous marine angelfish. Its body is a distinctive bright yellow in colour, with a blue or white circle around the eyes and blue behind the operculum. Juveniles have a blue ring on each side...
, Centropyge flavissima (CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, 1831). - Yellow angelfish, Centropyge heraldiCentropyge heraldiCentropyge heraldi is a species of Marine angelfish from the Pacific Ocean that sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 10cm in length....
Woods & Schultz, 1953. - Blackear angelfish, Centropyge hotumatua Randall & Caldwell, 1973.
- Japanese angelfishJapanese angelfishThe Japanese angelfish or Japanese pygmy angelfish is a very rare marine angelfish. It has an orangey yellow body with purplish blue spots completed with a bright yellow tail. The spots are larger towards the tail, and the bottom part the rear of the fish gradually becomes purple. The spots also...
, Centropyge interruptus (Tanaka, 1918). - Yellowhead angelfish, Centropyge joculator Smith-Vaniz & Randall, 1974.
- Flame angelfish, Centropyge loricula (Günther, 1874).
- Multicolor angelfish, Centropyge multicolorCentropyge multicolorCentropyge multicolor is a marine angelfish from the Pacific Ocean that sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 9 cm in length....
Randall & Wass, 1974. - Barred angelfish, Centropyge multifasciataCentropyge multifasciataThe barred angelfish or multibarred angelfish is a species of marine angelfish of the order Perciformes. It is native to the Indo-Pacific, more specifically an area from the Cocos-Keeling Atoll to the Society Islands, ranging north to the Yaeyama Islands and south to the Great Barrier Reef. C...
(Smith & Radcliffe, 1911). - Dusky angelfish, Centropyge multispinisCentropyge multispinisThe dusky angelfish, Centropyge multispinis, is a marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae found in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific area.It has some importance in the aquarium trade. Adults grow to a size of 14 cm in length....
(Playfair, 1867). - Nahacky's angelfish, Centropyge nahackyi Kosaki, 1989.
- Narc angelfish, Centropyge narcosis Pyle & Randall, 1993.
- Blackspot angelfish, Centropyge nigriocella Woods & Schultz, 1953.
- Midnight angelfish, Centropyge nox (BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1853). - Russet angelfish, Centropyge potteriCentropyge potteriCentropyge potteri is a marine angelfish from the Eastern Central Pacific Ocean. It sometimes makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 10cm in length....
(JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
& Metz, 1912). - Resplendent angelfish, Centropyge resplendens Lubbock & Sankey, 1975.
- Mango angelfish, Centropyge shepardi Randall & Yasuda, 1979.
- Keyhole angelfish, Centropyge tibicen (CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, 1831). - Purplemask angelfish, Centropyge venustus (Yasuda & Tominaga, 1969).
- Pearlscale angelfish, Centropyge vrolikii (BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1853).