The flame angelfish (''Centropyge loricula'') is a

marine angelfish Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be confu ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Pomacanthidae Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be confu ...

found in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

waters of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Other common names include flame angel, flaming angelfish and Japanese pygmy angelfish.

Description

The flame angelfish's coloration is bright orange-red with a vertical elongated black spot and four or five bars on the sides, the posterior part of the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

, and

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

s, with alternating short purple-blue and black bands. Specimens from the

Marquesas The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in t ...

lack the vertical black bars. Males are generally larger and slightly more colored than females. The life span of the flame angelfish is 5–7 years or more.

Range

It is found in various reefs of

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, most common in Marshall,

Line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

and Cook Islands. The fish is also, although less commonly, found in the Hawaiian Islands. Particularly, the flame angelfish can be found on the foreslope of coral reefs and clear lagoons.

Diet

In the wild, the flame angelfish has a varied diet consisting of algae and crustaceans. There are occasional specimens that live very long lives in reef aquaria, but the majority of these fish will often die for no apparent reason when they are older. This may be easily explained as many of the Centropyge family are predominantly plankton eaters as juveniles and will switch to consuming its natural adult diet once fully grown. Sometimes, all it takes is for an underfed individual to "test" a food source. This being the case, angelfish are usually added to a well established tank and fed frozen mysis shrimp or meaty crustaceans such as shrimp and clam.

In aquarium

In captivity, this species feeds on a variety of food including

brine shrimp ''Artemia'' is a genus of aquatic crustaceans also known as brine shrimp. It is the only genus in the family Artemiidae. The first historical record of the existence of ''Artemia'' dates back to the first half of the 10th century AD from Urmia La ...

, mysis shrimp, and other meat as well as spirulina, seaweed sheets, and pellets, also from personal experience they favor tuna and table shrimp. The flame angelfish is known to be shy upon introduction to an established aquarium, especially smaller specimens; but, within a week, it will gain confidence and is then constantly seen grazing around live rock during the day. The flame angelfish is often considered reef safe. They will adapt to a captive diet quickly which will usually prevent them from consuming soft or stony corals. Individual specimens that do pick at coral or clam mantles are more often than not under fed or under nourished.

Breeding

The flame angelfish has been known to spawn in captivity, with successfully captive bred specimens offered by Atoll Farm Aquaculture in Thailand. The flame angelfish is haremic in the wild and can be kept in pairs or trios in an extra-large aquarium. The aquarium should contain only one male — the males have more blue on the outer edge of the dorsal and anal fins, and tend to be larger. The fish will spawn toward the end of the day and release pelagic gametes into the water column. Collecting the eggs and raising the larvae is the biggest challenge. The flame Angelfish are broadcast spawners, releasing eggs and sperm simultaneously at dusk. They rise into the water column and release their eggs and sperm at the top.

References

External links

*photo o
Centropyge loriculus
in iNaturalist {{Taxonbar, from=Q1426988 flame anglefish Fish of the Pacific Ocean Taxa named by Albert Günther flame anglefish