The resplendent pygmy angelfish (''Centropyge resplendens'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish, belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 co ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overs ...

in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The resplendent pygmy angelfish has a body which is largely deep blue in colour. There is a yellow patch over the snout and yellow along the back and

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

to the yellow

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

. The dorsal fin contains 14 spines and 16 rays while the

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

has 3 spines and 17 rats. This species attains am maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of .

Distribution

The resplendent pygmy angelfish is found in the South Atlantic Ocean where it is endemic to the waters around Ascension Island.

Habitat and biology

The resplendent pygmy angelfish occur at depths between , over rock and rubble substrates. It feeds on algae or detritus. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, like other members of the genus ''Centropyge'', and the young fish are of indeterminate sex, become female at sexual maturity and if there is no male the dominant female changes sex to become male. This sex change can be reversed, which takes a few weeks.

Systematics

The resplendent pygmy angelfish was first formally described in 1975 by Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981) and Richard D. Sankey. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''resplendens'' means "resplendent", a reference to the beauty of its colour. Some authorities place this species in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

'' Xiphypops''.

Utilisation

The resplendent pygmy angelfish is rare in the aquarium trade, although it has been successfully bred in captivity, albeit infrequently.

References

Sources

* Roberts, C. 1996.
Centropyge resplendens

2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 4 August 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:anglefish, pygmy, resplendent resplendent pygmy angelfish Fauna of Ascension Island Taxa named by Roger Lubbock resplendent pygmy angelfish Taxonomy articles created by Polbot