Common Name: Pearlscale Angelfish

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Found throughout the tropical west Pacific, Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu, north to Southern Japan. In Australia it is known from north-western Western Australia and the northern Great Barrier Reef, south to the central coast of New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Prefers areas rich in coral growth, lagoons and seaward reefs and slopes to about 25 m.

Additional Notes: Feeds on a variety of benthic organisms including species of algae and invertebrates. Large horizontal spine on operculum is indentifying feature of this family. Is mimicked by a surgeon fish Acanthurus pyroferus. Grows to 12 cm. 

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.222.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Centropyge-vroliki.html. Accessed 30/04/18.