Species profile—Centropyge nox (midnight angelfish)
Classification
Animalia (animals) → Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) → Pomacanthidae (anglefishes) → Centropyge nox (midnight angelfish)
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Animalia (animals)
- Class
- Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
- Family
- Pomacanthidae (anglefishes)
- Scientific name
- Centropyge nox (Bleeker, 1853)
- Common name
- midnight angelfish
- WildNet taxon ID
- 32128
- Conservation significant
- No
- Wetland status
- Wetland Dependant Species
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- The midnight angelfish is dark grey-brown to black all over. It has a yellow spot just behind the gills and a short spine projecting from the lower cheek. There is a thin white outer margin on the tail and anal fins.
- Distribution
- The midnight angelfish is found in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific, from the Ryukyu Islands to Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Australia and New Caledonia. In Australia the species occurs from Lizard Island to Escape Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and is also found on Scott Reef off the northern Western Australian coast.
- Distributional limits
- 0, 0
0, 0 - Species environment
- Marine
- Habitat
- This species inhabits coral reefs of inshore waters.
- Behaviour
- Male angelfish defend their territory by driving away other male competitors. This is performed in order to maintain access to a mate. Like many angelfish species, the midnight angelfish probably shelters in caves or coral crevices.
- Reproduction
- For many species of angelfish, spawning (mating) occurs at dusk. Usually a single pair, although sometimes a small group, will congregate off the ocean bottom. When a female arrives nearby, the male performs a courtship display. This involves erecting his fins and swimming rapidly back and forth. Then the male and female swim spiralling toward the surface, where they simultaneously shed eggs and sperm, before returning to the ocean bottom. The eggs are less than 1mm in diameter and hatch 15-20 hours later.
- Diet
- The midnight angelfish probably feeds on algae on the reef bottom, like many other angelfish species.
- Notes
- Contributors: Mellisa Mayhew 16/10/2008; Wayne Martin 09/11/2008
- References
- Egerton, L. (ed.) (2005). Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, (Revised Edition). Readers Digest Pty Ltd, Sydney.
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds). (2008). FishBase, version (09/2008). World Wide Web electronic publication, Accessed 09/11/2008.
Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. (2006). Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Volume 35.2, p. 1305. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood. - Profile author
- Mellisa Mayhew (09/11/2008)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=32128.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
