Continuing on with our coverage of the amazing Waikiki Aquarium, we take a quick look at one of its rarest residents, the Abei Angelfish (Centropyge abei). This angel isn’t near as flashy as its higher profile tank mate, the Peppermint Angelfish (Paracentropyge boylei), but the Abei angel is actually a lot rarer and is quite the looker in its own right. This humble beauty sports a deep black dorsal coloration, a lemon yellow ventral surface, and vibrant white coloration on its tail and face. In terms of rarity, where there are at least two peppermint angels in captivity that we know of, there’s only one abei angel. In the wild, this fish is seemingly non-existent in the sense that is is rarely photographed or captured on video.
So what makes the Abei angel so rare? It’s all about location, location, location. The abei is found in the Western Pacific, specifically in extremely limited distribution around Indonesia and Palau. And like all super rare aquarium species, this angel is a deepwater dweller, often being found in depths exceeding 100m (320ft).
We’ll plenty of more photos from the Waikiki Aquarium in upcoming posts, so if extremely rare fish are your thing, be sure to stick around.
