Emperor angelfish
A reef-associated angelfish with brilliant blue and yellow stripes.
Last updated
This species is generally stable and faces no major extinction threats, and is popular with photographers, artists, and aquarists.[1]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderAcanthuriformes
- FamilyPomacanthidae
- GenusPomacanthus
- SpeciesPomacanthus imperator
Named by (Bloch, 1787)
Close relatives
Other species of Pomacanthus with a Codexery entry.
- Gray angelfish Pomacanthus arcuatus
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Emperor angelfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 220001 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.4 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Emperor angelfish
Where the emperor angelfish has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (5,867 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 30 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Biology and range
The specific name imperator means "emperor," reflecting the Dutch name Keyser van Iapan coined by Louis Renard in 1719.[2] Juveniles have a dark blue body with concentric curving lines of pale blue and white.[3][4] Marcus Elieser Bloch, a German physician and naturalist, first formally described this fish in 1787, naming it Chaetodon imperator and designating Japan as the type locality.[5] The maximum recorded total length for this species is 40 cm.[5]
This angelfish inhabits depths from 1 to 100 m, specifically in areas with abundant coral growth on lagoon, channel, or seaward reefs.[1]
What the specialist sources record
The Saltcorner! account notes that the Indian Ocean population of the emperor angelfish differs morphologically from most Pacific populations.[4] The Saltcorner! account describes the adult's blackish band above the pectoral fins as edged in brilliant blue on its front side and thinly edged in bright yellow on its rear edge.[4] The Fishes of Australia account cites the original species description as Chaetodon imperator Bloch 1787.[6] According to the Fishes of Australia account, adult fish are typically seen under ledges and inside caves.[6][7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Emperor angelfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pyle, R., "Pomacanthus imperator", 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Emperor angelfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 1): Families LOBOTIDAE, POMACANTHIDAE, DREPANEIDAE and CHAETODONTIDAE", The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database, 21 July 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Emperor angelfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pomacanthus imperator", Saltcorner!, 2012; "Pomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787)", Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Pomacanthus imperator", Saltcorner!, 2012. facts only, no text reused. saltcorner.com
- Wikipedia, "Emperor angelfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Dianne J. Bray, "Pomacanthus imperator", Fishes of Australia. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
- Wikipedia, "Emperor angelfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dianne J. Bray, "Pomacanthus imperator", Fishes of Australia (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Emperor angelfish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Emperor angelfish (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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