Lemonpeel Angelfish

The lemonpeel angelfish is bright yellow in colour with a bluish or whitish ring surrounding the eye. There is a black blotch on the rear margin of the gill cover. The spine on the preoperculum is blue, and the dorsal, anal and caudal fins have blue margins. Juveniles have an ocellus on the flank that is black with blue edges. The dorsal fin contains 14 spines and 15-16 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 16 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in).

The lemonpeel angelfish is found in the Indo-Pacific; the core of its distribution is in the Central Pacific from the Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands of Southern Japan in the north, east to the Tuamotu Islands and south to Australia. It also occurs around some Indian Ocean islands. In Australia, it occurs from the northern Great Barrier Reef south to Moreton Bay in Queensland and the Solitary Islands in New South Wales. In addition, it is found off Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea and the Australian Indian Ocean territories of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Sightings in parts of the western Pacific Ocean likely represent vagrants rather than established populations. It is absent from Hawaii and Johnston Atoll.