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Emperor angelfish

Pomacanthus imperator

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth6–25 m
  • Water temperature24–29 °C
  • Best monthsApril and May
  • How commonOccasional
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About this species

The emperor angelfish is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite of photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.

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

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 63 records
  • February: 193 records
  • March: 228 records
  • April: 525 records
  • May: 315 records
  • June: 202 records
  • July: 149 records
  • August: 59 records
  • September: 90 records
  • October: 82 records
  • November: 14 records
  • December: 24 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 6–25 m · Deepest record: 123 m

  • 0–10 m: 394 records
  • 10–20 m: 877 records
  • 20–30 m: 494 records
  • 30–40 m: 19 records
  • 40–50 m: 17 records
  • 50–60 m: 25 records
  • 60–70 m: 10 records
  • 70–80 m: 12 records
  • 80–90 m: 5 records
  • 90–100 m: 3 records
  • 100–110 m: 1 records
  • 110+ m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 24–29 °C

  • 22–24 °C: 2 records
  • 24–26 °C: 14 records
  • 26–28 °C: 160 records
  • 28–30 °C: 245 records

Names and classification

English
Emperor angelfish, Angelfish, Emperor, emperor angelfish, Emperor Angel-fish, Imperial Angelfish
Names in 7 more languages
German
Imperator-Kaiserfisch, Kaiserfisch
Spanish
Pez ángel emperador
Filipino
Baro-baro, Paro-paro, Paru-parang dagat
French
Ange de mer impérial, Holacanthe empereur, Poisson-ange empereur, Poisson ange impérial, Poisson ange impérial, Poisson-ange empereur
Japanese
Tatejima-kinchakudai, Tatejimakinchakudai, タテジマキンチャクダイ
Thai
ปลาสินสมุทรจักรพรรดิ
Simplified Chinese
主刺盖鱼, 主刺蓋魚, 大花臉(幼魚), 條紋蓋刺魚, 皇后神仙(成魚)

Other scientific names: Acanthochaetodon imperator, Acanthochaetodon nicobariensis, Chaetodon imperator, Chaetodon nicobariensis, Holacanthus bishopi, Holacanthus imperator, Holacanthus nicobariensis, Pomacanthodes imperator, Pomacanthodes nicobariensis, Pomacanthus imperatur, Pomacanthus nicobariensis

Similar species

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).
  • 3,289 open-data records from 1787 to 2023.

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