J u n e 2 017 07 Marine News
One of 8 species in the
Apolemichthys genus, A. kingi
is also known as the Tiger
Angelfi sh. It shouldn’t be
confused with Holacanthus
passer which is commonly
known as the King Angelfi sh.
With a fairly limited natural
range, from South Africa to
Southern Mozambique in the
Western Indian Ocean, this
species has also recently been
documented on the Indian
Ocean side of Madagascar and
it is possible that this fi sh has
come from a collecting station
in that area. Attaining around
21cm in nature, the specimen
we saw appeared to be close
to full size and, as an adult,
exhibited the orange/black
opercular spot and orange eye-
stripe typical of this size.
Although rare in the trade, this
species is currently classifi ed as
being of ‘Least Concern’ by the
IUCN and, although uncommon
in the wild, populations are
not thought to be threatened,
with certain parts of the range
being encompassed by marine
reserves. That said, certain
populations do occur in areas
that are poorly known and
populations in these areas have
not been accurately assessed,
as yet.
Imported by RVS Fishworld, it
nevertheless seems that this
specimen has been net-caught
and treated well during its
travels. Indeed, followers of the
RVS Facebook page could even
watch the fi sh being lovingly
packaged for its trip to the UK.
Given the scarcity of supplyit is perhaps no surprise that
this fi sh is on sale for a fee that
rules out all but the most well-
healed and devoted angelfi sh
collectors. Even so, at the time
of our visit, there was already
interest in the fi sh despite
the fi ve fi gure sum! As well as
this stunning Tiger Angel weRoyal Visit: King of the Apolemichthys
Angels Comes To The UK
Image: J Clipperton / Burscough Aquaticswere also lucky enough to
be able to image some other
‘rare’ angel species including
A. arcuatus (Bandit Angel), A.
xanthopunctatus (Goldfl ake
Angel), Chaetodontoplus
conspicillatus (Conspicuous
Angel) and Centropyge
interrupta (Japanese Angel)!Mid-May saw the import of a species that is among the most highly prized of all marine angelfi shes and
we were lucky enough to be given permission to photograph a specimen, along with a host of other
desirable angels, at one of the UKs top marine livestock retailers; Burscough Aquatics.
the fi ve fi gure sum! As well as
this stunning Tiger Angel weAngel) and Centropyge
interrupta (Japanese Angel)!Image: J Clipperton / Burscough AquaticsA. kingi / Tiger AngelA. arcuatus / Bandit Angel