Marine life  /  Angelfish  /  Yellow angelfish
Reviewed 2026-09-06
Species entry

Yellow angelfish

Centropyge heraldi

A dwarf angelfish that is entirely yellow, with no markings at all.

Size
To 12 cm
Depth
5–40 m
Habitat
Coral reef and rubble on slopes
Active
Daylight
Range
Indo-Pacific
Rarity
Bali
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
SP-01
yellow angelfish · full body · habitat
4:3 · min 2400px

To about 12 cm and entirely bright yellow; males carry a dark smudge behind the eye and along the upper rear of the dorsal fin, and some populations show it more strongly than others. The lemonpeel angelfish Centropyge flavissima, which occurs further east, has a blue ring around the eye and blue fin margins — the absence of any blue is the identification here.

It grazes algae over coral and rubble on slopes, in small groups of a male and several females, and is quick to drop into cover. Like the other dwarf angelfishes it does not hold still, and the practical method is to settle beside a coral head and let it come back round. Recorded from about 5 to 40 m.

Where to find:

LocationRarity Best monthsDepthHabitat
Bali Indonesia editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–40 m
Coral reef and rubble on slopes
Anilao Philippines editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–40 m
Coral reef and rubble
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–40 m
Coral reef and slopes
Lembeh Strait Indonesia editorial estimate
3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Year-round
5–35 m
Coral heads and rubble

Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.

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