Fish
Flame Angelfish
Centropyge loricula · also called flame angel
Picking at algae among the rubble of a reef slope, a flame angelfish glows red-orange with dark bars down its sides, never straying far from the crevices it can vanish into in a flash.
Overview
The flame angelfish, Centropyge loricula, is native to ocean and coastal reef habitat across the central and western Pacific. Its intense colour, small size, and rubble-hugging habits make it one of the best-known and most popular dwarf angelfish in the world.
A small fish with a big colour
The flame angelfish proves that a dwarf angelfish can be as visually striking as a far larger relative, its blaze of red-orange standing out sharply against the muted rubble it lives among.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable reef habitat throughout the central and western Pacific.
Flame Angelfish: common questions
Why is it called the flame angelfish?
Its vivid red-orange body, crossed by dark vertical bars, resembles a flame, giving the species its common name.
What is a dwarf angelfish?
Dwarf angelfish are a group of small marine angelfish, mostly under about 15 cm, and the flame angelfish is one of the best-known members.
Why does the flame angelfish stay near rubble and crevices?
It relies on tight cover to dart into quickly when threatened, so it spends most of its time close to reef rubble and crevices rather than in open water.
Where is the flame angelfish found?
It is native to ocean and coastal reef habitat across the central and western Pacific.