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Midnight Angelfish

Midnight Angelfish

Centropyge Nox

Quick Facts

Scientific nameCentropyge Nox

Other namesBlack Nox Angelfish, Black Pygmy Angelfish, Midnight Nox Angelfish

SizeUp to 12 cm (4.7 in)

WeightUnder a kilo (2.2lb)

FamilyAngelfish / Pomacanthidae

Distribution

Habitat & AU DistributionCoral-rich areas of outer reef slopes, lagoons and passages.

The Midnight Angelfish is a small, jet-black fish that grows to about 10 cm long. Its deep, uniform colour makes it one of the most striking and unusual angelfish on the reef.
Unlike most angelfish, which are decorated with bright colours and bold patterns, the Midnight Angelfish is almost entirely black. Look closely and you may notice a faint yellow blotch just behind the gill cover. Its fins carry a barely visible edge of grey or navy.
In Australia, it lives along the Great Barrier Reef, where it favours the coral-rich slopes of outer reefs. Its range stretches across the Western Pacific, from southern Japan south to New Caledonia and east to Micronesia.
It is a fish of the deeper reef. Most are found between about 10 and 70 m down, where the light fades and the coral walls drop away into darker water.
The Midnight Angelfish spends most of its time close to the reef, picking algae from rock and coral surfaces. It rarely strays far from a crevice or cave entrance it can retreat into.
It is a shy and secretive fish by nature. Rather than swimming freely in the open, it tends to weave through gaps in the reef and stay near shelter.
Midnight Angelfish live in small harems of roughly three to seven fish, with one male and several females in the group.
Like other dwarf angelfish, this species starts life as a female and can later change into a male. If the male of a group disappears, the most dominant female will take his place.
Juveniles look much the same as adults, dressed in the same dark colours from an early age. This makes them unusual among reef fish, where young fish often look quite different from the adults.
You may also see this species called the Dusky Angelfish. Both names refer to the same fish.
One of its strangest neighbours on the reef is the Midnight Dottyback, a completely unrelated fish that has evolved to look almost identical to it. Scientists believe the dottyback mimics the angelfish’s appearance, though exactly why remains an open question.

Species Interaction

Midnight Angelfish: A Rare Reef Find for Divers and Aquarists

Aquarium
Snorkelling & Diving
Research & Rare Encounters

The Midnight Angelfish is sought after in the aquarium hobby, where its uniform jet-black colouring makes it a striking species for experienced reef-tank keepers. It requires large, well-structured tanks with plenty of live rock. In Australian waters, the species occurs on parts of the Great Barrier Reef and Scott Reef, where divers may encounter it weaving through deeper reef slopes, though sightings are uncommon.

Species
Sustainability

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Teleostei
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Centropyge
Species: Centropyge nox

Conservation Status

The Midnight Angelfish is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, assessed in October 2009. Its population resilience is rated high, with a low fishing vulnerability score. No Australian EPBC listing applies to this species.