Keyhole Angelfish

Centropyge tibicen is mainly black in colour, the adults have an elongated vertical black blotch in the centre of the upper flanks. Smaller fish are mainly black with a white vertical bar which changes to a central blotch and becomes highly variable in form and extent. The dorsal and anal fins have a blue line just below their margin. Much of the pelvic and the front part of the anal fin are yellow. The caudal fin has a blue line which is positioned submarginally. The dorsal fin contains 14 spines and 15-16 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 16-17 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 19 centimetres (7.5 in).

Centropyge tibicen is found in the Indo-Pacific region. It occurs from the northwestern coast of Australia and Christmas Island through the Indo-Australian Archipelago to Vanuatu and Tonga in the east. Its range extends as far north as southern Japan and Taiwan and to Lord Howe Island.