Sixbar angelfish (Pomacanthus sexstriatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Pomacanthus sexstriatus · Authority: (Cuvier, 1831) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 276026.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Euxiphipops sexstriatus (Cuvier, 1831); Holacanthus sexstriatus Cuvier, 1831; Pomacanthus sextriatus (Cuvier, 1831).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276026 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 46 cm · Depth range: 3–60 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 36 of 100 · Fishery importance: subsistence fisheries · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Juveniles prefer sheltered inner reefs while adults occur in areas of rich coral growth and high vertical relief of lagoon and seaward reefs. Adults semi-silty coastal to about 50 m depth, often seen in pairs (Ref. 48636).

Occur solitary or mostly in pairs, are very elusive. Emits loud grunting sounds when harassed. Only the young make excellent aquarium fish (Ref. 4859).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 6564) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Pomacanthus-sexstriatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

3,641 georeferenced occurrence records for Pomacanthus sexstriatus are published through GBIF from 17 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 225 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 24 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: Australia (2,592); New Caledonia (362); Indonesia (307); Palau (103); Malaysia (62).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2396414) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2396414&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276026 (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 Pomacanthus sexstriatus (Cuvier, 1831) 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 165840) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165840/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2396414) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2396414/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The specific name sexstriatus means "six-banded". Like the common names, this is a reference to the six vertical bands on the flanks of the adults of this species.

Taxonomy

The sixbar angelfish was first formally described as Holacanthus sexstriatus in 1831 by the French anatomist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) with the type locality given as Java. Some authorities place this species in the subgenus Euxiphipops; this was once an independent genus (erected in 1934 by the British ichthyologist Alec Fraser-Brunner), but was later synonymized with Pomacanthus.

Coloration

Like other species in the genus, juvenile and adult sixbar angelfish are quite different in appearance. juveniles have an overall blue-black color broken by many vertical white bands, the anterior bands being rather straight while the posterior bands become increasingly arced as they approach the tail. The adults, in contrast, have an overall color of brownish-yellow on the body and the median fins, with vivid blue spots. Along the flanks there are 6 vertical bands, the first being whitish and placed immediately behind the head and the rest being black.

Meristics and size

The sixbar angelfish has 13-14 spines and 18-23 soft rays in the dorsal fin, and 3 spines and 18-19 soft rays in the anal fin. It may reach up to about 46 cm in the wild.

Distribution

The sixbar angelfish is found from Sri Lanka through the Malay Archipelago to the Solomon Islands longitudinally, and from the Ryukyu Islands and Palau and to New Caledonia and Australia latitudinally. In Australia, its range extends from Shark Bay in Western Australia along the northern coast to the Capricorn and Bunker Group off Queensland. It is also found around the Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef of Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea.

The sixbar angelfish is found at depths between 1-60 m. Adults are found in lagoons and outer reef slopes, especially places where there is a rich growth of corals, while juveniles prefer sheltered inner reefs. Adults either live in pairs or solitarily, and is omnivorous, feeding on macroalgae, sponges and tunicates. When alarmed, the species can make loud, grunting sounds.

The sixbar angelfish is occasionally collected for the aquarium trade. Only the juveniles are suitable for home aquaria, as the adults are too large.

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