Holacanthus_africanus (Holacanthus africanus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Acanthuriformes · Family: Pomacanthidae · Genus: Holacanthus.

Accepted name: Holacanthus africanus · Authority: Cadenat, 1951 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 276011.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Holocanthus africanus Cadenat, 1951.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276011 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Holacanthus africanus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 45 cm · Depth range: 1–40 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 35 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Common off Ghana where it is generally found among rocks.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 11163) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Holacanthus-africanus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

671 georeferenced occurrence records for Holacanthus africanus are published through GBIF from 24 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 47 distinct locations from a sample of 671 records, omitting 36 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Nigeria (118); Gabon (79); Ghana (79); Côte d’Ivoire (72); Liberia (63); Cameroon (45); Sierra Leone (41); Guinea (36); Cabo Verde (26); Guinea-Bissau (22); Equatorial Guinea (19); Togo (12); Congo, Democratic Republic of the (11); Congo (11); Benin (10).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Maltese part of the Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5211464) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5211464&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276011 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Holacanthus africanus Cadenat, 1951 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 165825) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165825/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5211464) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5211464/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Holocanthus africanus is differently coloured in juveniles and adults. The juvenile Guinean angelfish has a dark blue body with thin light blue vertical bars on either side of the eye. They also have a yellow caudal fin and yellow lips with a broad vertical white band in the middle of their flanks. As is they mature, the blue changes to olive green, with the white vertical bar on the flanks widening and becoming more yellowish.

They also gain an almost black colour on the caudal peduncle. They may retain yellow areas along the margins of the dorsal and anal fins, and there is a dark ocellus visible behind the operculum. This species attains a maximum total length of 45 cm.

Holacanthus africanus is found from Senegal to the Congo River estuary, including the Cape Verde and São Tomé islands. It has been reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea in Valletta harbour, Malta in 2017.

Holacanthus africanus is found in clear water over rocky reefs at depths between 1 and 40 m. The Guinean angelfish has a non-specialized diet. It feeds primarily on sponges, but also on tunicates, jellyfish, and soft corals as well as algae and plankton. Around the Cape Verde islands, this species is often found in quite dense mixed species shoals, the Guinean angelfish being dominant.

Holacanthus africanus was first formally described in 1951 by the French ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908–1992) with the type locality given as Gorée in Senegal.

Holacanthus africanus does appear in the aquarium trade, albeit only a few times annually and it commands high prices. Availability increased in the late 2010s.

Source: Wikipedia: Holacanthus_africanus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holacanthus_africanus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.