Griffis Angelfish

Griffis Angelfish

The Griffis Angelfish Apolemichthys griffisi is one of the more petite of the large angelfish, but it stands out with its bold markings. It’s mostly a white and black fish but only grows to a length of about 9 3/4 ” (25 cm). On the upper body it has three bold stripes of black, white, and an oblique black, and the lower body is greyish with a tan to yellowish cast, decorated with a netted patterning of white pearly spots. It is similar in coloration to the Bandit Angelfish Apolemichthys arcuatus from the Hawaiian Islands, but these two fish are readily distinguishable from each other. The Bandit Angel has only one bold black stripe along its upper body and above this stripe is its tanish tint with the pearly netted pattern (the reverse of the Griffis).

This angelfish is a more recently discovered species. It was first photographed in the 1970’s by the Australian photojournalist Valerie Taylor at the Gilbert Islands (formerly the Kingsmill Islands) located in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between the Hawaiian Islands and Papua New Guinea. It was later collected southeast of there, from Canton Island, by Carlson and Taylor in 1978, who then described it in 1981.