The Centropyge narcosis you see above is the most recent collection by famed deepwater fish collector, Rufus Kimura. Having barely recovered from the assault of sensational rare fish news regarding the illustrious Peppermint Angelfish just two months ago, we’re hit with yet another phenomenal find. We cannot even begin to elaborate on how rare the Narcosis Angelfish is. The namesake of this fish stems from the immense depth at which it lives in. Richard Pyle collected this fish in the 90s and the fish was named after the dangerous medical condition known as Nitrogen narcosis, which is associated with deepwater diving.
The Narcosis Angelfish was collected outside of its current known range – The Cook Islands. The fish has been reported to live at depths of up to 420 ft and has cemented the elusive stature of the fish until now. It has been a really long time since the last of its kind showed up, which landed up in a deepwater reef set up in Japan. Centropyge narcosis most closely resembles C. colini in form and behavior. The tall body profile and sharp, prominent dorsal fin spikes are common characteristics of both species. Unlike C. colini which has an overall dull yellow-green hue, the coloration of C. narcosis is bright, loud and extremely attractive.
The past two years have been very exciting with regards to the dwarf angels. We first saw spine tingling new pictures of C. nigrocella early last year, followed by a brand new Paracentropyge boylei for Waikiki Aquarium, as well as video footage of the species in the wild. The collection of C. narcosis completes what might be the rarest and least seen dwarf angelfish, right next to C. debelius and C. abei. We’re still getting word on the details regarding the collection of the Narcosis Angelfish above, but stay close to get the scoop on what’s hot and bubbling under in the reef scene!
