WWF Tropical Reef Fish

The Pitcairn Islands Group situated at latitude 25º 04S and longitude 130º 06W and enjoying a sub-tropical climate, gives rise to the presence of tropical reef fish around Henderson and the atolls of Oeno and Ducie. While not endangered, the World Wide Fund for Nature advises that the tropical reef fish of this area must have their habitat retained in its pristine state to ensure the species will not be threatened in the future.
The Pitcairn Islands Philatelic Bureau is pleased to receive the endorsement of WWF to release this issue featuring two angelfish and two butterflyfish:

Flame Angelfish Centropyge loriculus - brightly coloured, the Flame angelfish are diurnal and feed primarily off sponges and algae. All species are hermaphrodites, starting life as females and changing sex later to males. They are most commonly found between the Hawaiian Islands, Great Barrier Reef and the Marshall Islands, but are widely dispersed throughout the Pacific. They frequent clear lagoons and seaward reefs.
Lemonpeel Angelfish Centropyge flavissima – growing up to 10cm, the Lemonpeel is characterised by its bright yellow colouring. Juveniles carry a black spot ringed in vivid blue. Found in less than 25M of water, they inhabit both Indian and Pacific oceans, but only defined areas within these oceans. They like to hide in their habitats and eat mainly algae.

Lined Butterflyfish Chaetodon lineolatus – characterised by a long snout and slightly rounded fins, the lined butterflyfish boasts black and yellow colouring and a white body featuring black dominant lines. Found in less than 30M, it feeds mainly on coral polyps, algae and sea anenomes. Its territory stretches throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Bicoloured Butterflyfish Chaetodon smithi – feeding on zooplankton and coral, the bicoloured is found between 10 and 30M. Its distinctive half black, half yellow colouring makes it easily recognisable within its defined distribution around Easter Island, French Polynesia and Pitcairn.

WWF Tropical Reef Fish - purchase
Please Note: All prices are in New Zealand Dollars

Set of 4 stamps in strip	$6.10	Click to buy
Miniature Sheet with 2 strip sets	$12.20	Click to buy
Sheetlet with 4 strip sets	$24.40	Click to buy
First Day Cover with single strip set	$7.60	Click to buy
First Day Cover with miniature sheet	$13.70	Click to buy

Technical Details

Designer:	Sue Wickison, Wellington, New Zealand www.suewickisondesign.com	Pitcairn Stamps proudly brought to you by:
Printer:	Southern Colour Print, Dunedin, New Zealand
Process:	Offset Litho
Stamp size:	35.0 mm x 29.4mm horizontal
Miniature sheet:	180mm x 105mm horizontal
Sheet Format:	Sheetlets of 16 stamps with no gutter
Perforation Gauge:	14.285 x 14.285
Denominations:	60c; $1.00; $2.00 and $2.50
Paper:	104gsm Tullis non phosphor gummed paper
Period of Sale:	23 June 2010 for a period of 2 years