Genicanthus personatus
Randall, 1975

Male Masked Angelfish
Common Name: Masked Angelfish
Distribution: Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
Remarks: This species is extremely rare in the main Hawaiian Islands, where it is usually encountered in very deep water (250 feet or more). It is more abundant and in shallower water in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Like other angelfishes, it begins its mature life as a female, then eventually changes sex to become a male. The fish above is the male coloration; below is the female. This group of angelfishes often lives off the bottom in mid-water, where it feeds primarily on plankton.

Female Masked Angelfish
Photo © 1997 by Richard L. Pyle
This page last revised 12 June 1997