Cherubfish

Centropyge argi

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth9–93 m
Water temperature23–29 °C
Best monthsJune, July, and August
How commonRare

Photo credit: no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

About this species

The cherubfish, also known as the pygmy angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Cherubfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 12 records
February: 4 records
March: 12 records
April: 10 records
May: 10 records
June: 35 records
July: 35 records
August: 38 records
September: 32 records
October: 32 records
November: 25 records
December: 14 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 9–93 m · Deepest record: 1,025 m

0–10 m: 17 records
10–20 m: 34 records
20–30 m: 60 records
30–40 m: 7 records
40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 4 records
60–70 m: 17 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 3 records
100–110 m: 2 records
110+ m: 14 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C

22–24 °C: 22 records
24–26 °C: 11 records
26–28 °C: 141 records
28–30 °C: 14 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Cherubfish, cherubfish, Cherub Pygmy Angelfish, Pygmy angelfish

Names in 3 more languages

German: Blauer Zwergkaiserfisch
Spanish: angelote pigmeo, Ángel pigmeo, Cachamita azul
French: Poisson-ange chérubin

Similar species

Coral Beauty
Centropyge bispinosa
Lemon Peel
Centropyge flavissima
Bicolor angelfish
Centropyge bicolor
Damsel Angelfish
Centropyge fisheri
Golden Angelfish
Centropyge heraldi
Black Angelfish
Centropyge tibicen

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
307 open-data records from 1964 to 2022.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist