photo © Randall Kosaki
NAHACKY'S ANGELFISH
Centropyge nahackyi Kosaki, 1989
   In 1987, Randall Kosaki discovered this gorgeous fish at Johnston Atoll, where it lives at depths of 80 ft. or more on gently sloping outer reef areas devoid of ledges or other vertical relief. It is dark blue-brown with a bright yellow tail base, abdomen and head. The top of the head (nape) is marked with iridescent blue bars interspersed with black. In 1988, fish collector Anthony Nahacky caught a single individual of the as-yet unnamed species off Honaunau, Hawai`i, at a depth of about 115 ft. He kept it in his aquarium for some time before donating it to science. Nahacky's find was almost certainly a stray, as no further Hawaiian specimens have turned up. Kosaki named the fish after Nahackyi in honor of his numerous contributions to our knowledge of Indo-Pacific fishes. The species is closely related to C. multicolor (pictured below), an angelfish common in the Marshalls and other central and south Pacific island groups. Curiously, a stray C. multicolor was also once captured along the Kona coast of the Big Island. To about 3 in. Nachakyi's Angelfish is endemic to Johnston Atoll. Photo: Randall Kosaki. Aquarium.

MULTICOLOR ANGELFISH
Centropyge multicolor Randall & Wass, 1974
   If you see this fish in Hawai`i, call the Bishop Museum! It has only been recorded from Hawaiian waters once before, off the Kona coast of the Big Island. Nahackyi's Angelfish, a Johnston Island endemic, is similar. It too has been seen off Kona--and only once. The Multicolor Anglefish occurs throughout Micronesia. In the Marshall Islands it typically lives on steep seaward slopes at depths of 80 feet or more. Photo: Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands. 100 ft.