What rare angel is the least owned?

[nbd13]

Dr. Tanaka- WOW you actually owned a Ch. dimidiatus at one time?

do many of these make it into the shops in Japan? or is it rare over there?

I do not think I have heard of any coming into the US.

thanks for the info.

any more rare angels that you can think of?

Nick

[copps]

Again can anyone elaborte on the new discovery of Centropyge abei?

How about Genicanthus semicinctus found around Lord Howe...

Male...

Female...

[H.Tanaka]

Thanks nbd,
I have seen and videotaped the male of Genicanthus semicinctus perhaps from Lord Howe Island at a retailer in Kanagawa some 15 years ago, and I will search the video to show clips someday if possible. It was an extra large fish. Then I could have seen the FIRST imported Debelius' Angel, too there.

[Julio]

how about a masked swallow tail from Hawaii?

[H.Tanaka]

This is Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus, 11cm from the Philippines. It is restricted to the Philipines, and juveniles are seldom shipped. The juv photo was taken underwater by Garuda Igarashi, my good friend in Cebu.
It also is a poor eater.

[BGreene]

Sorry to leave you guys hanging. Centropyge abei was very recently described from one specimen and a few sightings around 120m in Sulawesi. It has been seen before, from a submersible and the video is really cool. This species is probably more widespread, but is usually found below 500ft which is really the limit that we can push our rebreathers to. I would not be suprised if it is shallower, say 100m, at other localities.

I have never seen Genicanthus semicinctus in the wild, but I have seen Genicanthus spinus at Rapa Iti in French Polynesia.

Aloha,
Brian

[LargeAngels]

H. Tanaka: Here is my bluespot. I had it paired with a small specimen that was grown from a very small juvenile. Unfortunately I lost the smaller one to a severe eye infection resulting from skin flukes.

[H.Tanaka]

Very nice specimen, and pics. Thank you.

[Rare Angels]

A couple years back I think the Marine Center had a Chaetodontoplus vanderloosi, I remember talking to Randy from MC and he described as fish they had exactly as a Chaetodontoplus vanderloosi looks. I should have asked for a pictures or better yet bought the fish.

[H.Tanaka]

Well, how do you think this individual ? Length 10cm.
It was kept by a friend in Miyazaki, and he bought it several years ago.

[nbd13]

Dr. Tanaka- Very nice specimen!

What rare angels do you have pictures of?

thanks

Nick

[H.Tanaka]

Oh, not so many !
But I try to show ALL the photos (including not so rare ones) here one by one.

Here is a new comer to the genus Centropyge, a possible new species from Rowley Shoals. Photo courtesy by Rudie Kuiter.
It has been regarded as a varian of C. eiblii, but seemingly different in having a broad black area on posterior part of body. It looks like also C. vrolikii but has dark bands on anterior part. Some cases have orange bands there. At present it is known only from Rowley Shoals.
Now it is examined by some ichthyologists.

[nbd13]

Wow, that one looks like a nice specimen!

Do you know there range in nature?

thanks

Nick

[H.Tanaka]

nbd,
It seems restricted to Rowley Shoals, and then we suspect that it probably is new. At first I thought that it is merely a hybrid of C. eiblii and vrolikii. No aquarium specimen.

[H.Tanaka]

Juveniles on parade.

(upper)
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi, 3cm- rarely available
Ch. septentrionalis, 5cm- collected in our area on occasion, but rarely available at shops
Ch. species, 3cm; probably melanosoma

(lower)
Pygoplites diacanthus, 2.5cm; rarely available from the Red Sea
Pomacanthus chrysurus, 7cm- available on occasion
Po. asfur, 3.5cm, bred in Taiwan- fairly cheap, some $80-90, but rarely imported

[NexDog]

Originally posted by H.Tanaka
Juveniles on parade.

(upper)
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi, 3cm- rarely available

That's a Scribbled Angel? Are you saying that the really small juvs are teh ones that are rarely available? I've seen 6cm specimens often...

[H.Tanaka]

NexDog,
Yes, this is the Scribbled. I cannot see such a juvenile so rarely. But in larger cities it may not be so scarce t retailers. In Miyazaki I have never seen it.

[H.Tanaka]

Apolemichthys xanthopunctatus, Goldflake Angel, 8cm, and a juvenile (25mm) that grew to this larger one (lower right; some 5cm).

This angel is not rare in market, and juveniles recently became popular.

[marinebetta]

Originally posted by H.Tanaka
Oh, not so many !
But I try to show ALL the photos (including not so rare ones) here one by one.

Here is a new comer to the genus Centropyge, a possible new species from Rowley Shoals. Photo courtesy by Rudie Kuiter.
It has been regarded as a varian of C. eiblii, but seemingly different in having a broad black area on posterior part of body. It looks like also C. vrolikii but has dark bands on anterior part. Some cases have orange bands there. At present it is known only from Rowley Shoals.
Now it is examined by some ichthyologists.

That's an awesome looking pygmy angel, Dr Tanaka.

Do you, by any chance, have pictures of the new C. abei ?

[H.Tanaka]

I am sorry; there is a photocopy in B/W that was sent to me by fax from a German friend last week. I am now asking for copies from Italy and maybe next week I can get color copies from them. It was described in Aqua, Italy.

[copps]

Originally posted by H.Tanaka
Oh, not so many !
But I try to show ALL the photos (including not so rare ones) here one by one.

Here is a new comer to the genus Centropyge, a possible new species from Rowley Shoals. Photo courtesy by Rudie Kuiter.
It has been regarded as a varian of C. eiblii, but seemingly different in having a broad black area on posterior part of body. It looks like also C. vrolikii but has dark bands on anterior part. Some cases have orange bands there. At present it is known only from Rowley Shoals.
Now it is examined by some ichthyologists.

Dr. Tanaka, are you aware that a specimen of this fish is pictured in Scott Michael's Reef Fishes Volume 3 on page 251? It is listed as Centropyge cf. vrolikii, meaning at that time it was an unconfirmed variant of the half-black angel... whatever the taxonomic designation, it's an awesome fish! What other Centropyge species are found at Rowley Shoals?

Also, page 233 of the same book has a couple of photos of C. vrolikii/ C. eibli hybrids... notably different but interesting nonetheless...

[H.Tanaka]

copps,

In Rowley Shoals are Angelfish species shown below as far as Centropyge is concerned;
bicolor, bispinosa, and eiblii (this fish).

In the nearby Scott Reef/ Seringapatam Reefs;
bicolor, bispinosa, flavicauda, nox, tibicen, and vrolikii
(after Allen & Russell, 1986).

Then I suspected that the fish seems a hybrid between eiblii x vrolikii; the latter seems scarce in Rowley Shoals, but it is not found there at all.

[marinebetta]

Dr Tanaka, I was browsing the blue harbor website and it seems like they are selling what looks like RCT bred juvenile C. debelius . I can't read japanese and babelfish doesn't seem to work on their site.....but they sure don't look like interruptus to me! Can you confirm this?

[NexDog]

Where on their site do you see these fish? Whole thing is in frames so one URL is for all. Right click and select show only this frame and paste in the URL here.

Hiroyuki directed me to a young adult Regal Angel today (9cm). My family and I met up with him and his sons on Saturday and he gave me copies of two of his book. Extremely kind and knowledgeable guy.

[Maximus]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by marinebetta
Dr Tanaka, I was browsing the blue harbor website and it seems like they are selling what looks like RCT bred juvenile C. debelius . I can't read japanese and babelfish doesn't seem to work on their site.....but they sure don't look like interruptus to me! Can you confirm this? [/QUOTE

Woa!! My suspicions were true!! At WMC, Mike Paletta, Sanjay, and a few others were talking about a rumor about RCT breeding debelius angels. Hot Damn!!