emperor angelfish
Pomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite of photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.
Wikipedia contributors, Emperor angelfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:39:05.520821+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787)
- Name authority
- (Bloch, 1787)
- Common name
- emperor angelfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Acanthuriformes
- Family
- Pomacanthidae
- Genus
- Pomacanthus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAcanthuriformes
- familyPomacanthidae Jordan & Evermann, 1898
- genusPomacanthus Lacepède, 1802
- speciesPomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pomacanthus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| gray angelfishPomacanthus arcuatus (Linnaeus, 1758) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arabian angelfishPomacanthus asfur (Forsskål, 1775) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| yellowbar angelfishPomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pomacanthus navarchus (Cuvier, 1831) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| French angelfishPomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| semicircle angelfishPomacanthus semicirculatus (Cuvier, 1831) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pomacanthus sexstriatus (Cuvier, 1831) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bluering angelfishPomacanthus annularis (Bloch, 1787) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| earspot angelfishPomacanthus chrysurus (Cuvier, 1831) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pomacanthus rhomboides (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pomacanthus xanthometopon (Bleeker, 1853) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cortez angelfishPomacanthus zonipectus (Gill, 1862) | PomacanthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pomacanthodes imperator (Bloch, 1787) (Bloch, 1787) | synonym |
| Acanthochaetodon imperator (Bloch, 1787) (Bloch, 1787) | synonym |
| Holacanthus bishopi Seale, 1901 Seale, 1901 | synonym |
| Pomacanthodes nicobariensis Schn., 1801 Schn., 1801 | synonym |
| Holacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787) (Bloch, 1787) | synonym |
| Holacanthus nicobariensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | synonym |
| Pomacanthus imperatur (Bloch, 1787) (Bloch, 1787) | synonym |
| Pomacanthus nicobariensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | synonym |
| Acanthochaetodon nicobariensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | synonym |
| Chaetodon imperator Bloch, 1787 Bloch, 1787 | synonym |
| Chaetodon nicobariensis Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=220001 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4LQ6M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.