Clarion Angelfish, Holacanthus clarionensis
Clarion Angelfish, Holacanthus clarionensis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, August 2020. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
Clarion Angelfish, Holacanthus clarionensis. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, March 2013. Length: 29 cm (11 inches).
Clarion Angelfish, Holacanthus clarionensis. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Photographs courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
The Clarion Angelfish, Holacanthus clarionensis, is a member of the Angelfish or Pomacanthidae Family, and is known in Mexico as ángel de Clarión. Globally, there are eleven species in the genus Holocanthus, of which five are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Clarion Angelfish has a deep compressed rectangular shaped body and can vary significantly in color. They generally have brownish orange bodies, dark brown heads, a broad bright orange band behind the head, and an orange caudal fin. Juveniles are brownish orange with narrow blue stripes on the head and sides; these stripes narrow with maturity. They have a small mouth with brush-like teeth and their gill covers have a long spine attached. They feature a single continuous dorsal fin with 14 spines and 17 to 19 rays. Their anal and dorsal fins end in filaments and are normally highly colored; their caudal fins are straight with extended outside edges. Their bodies are covered with rough scales.
The Clarion Angelfish resides over and within rocky reefs at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They are found either as solitary individuals or in aggregations. They reach a maximum of 30.3 cm (11.9 inches) in length with this length was established by a fish that was in my possession. The Clarion Angelfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Clarion Angelfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found only around the southern tip of Baja and around the oceanic islands.
The Clarion Angelfish, although rare, are an easy fish to identify due to their unique coloration and are therefore difficult to confuse with other species. The juveniles are similar to the juvenile King Angelfish, Holocanthus passer (white bar behind the gill cover).
From a conservation perspective the Clarion Angelfish is currently considered to be VULNERABLE, due to their very limited distribution, shallow water habitat, and declines in their populations during El Niño’s and La Niña events. Reports are however that the populations are stable and the fish photographed herein are indicative that the range of the Clarion Angelfish is greater than previously documented. The Clarion Angelfish are uncommon and not considered significant and they are only retained by subsistence fishermen. Historically they have been used on a limited basis by the aquarium trade.