Damselfish

Common Family Name

Damselfish

Others in Family

Garibaldis, Gregories, Sergeant-majors, Chromis, Night-sergeants.

Scientific Name

Pomacentridae

Size

Up to 30 cm, average 10 cm.

Identification

Elongated oval body. Large, rough scales. Tail fins differ from concave to forked. Different colouration, from black and white to bright yellow, orange and blue dominating.

General Info

Pomacentridae family consists of 28 genera and 321 species. Abundant over reefs. Hide in coral or crevices when danger approaches. Some species are very territorial. The male builds a ‘nest’ on rock and the female lays her eggs there, which is in turn fertilised by the male. The male guards the nest for up to seven days.

Feeding

Depending on their habitat, they will feed on algae, plankton, corals and small bottom- dwelling crustaceans.

Distribution

Occurs in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world.

Common Species

Chocolate dip damselfish - Chromis dimidiata
Sergeant major damselfish - Abudefduf vaigiensis
Domino damselfish - Dascyllus trimaculatus