80x5 -
240x3 -
240x4 -
320x1 -
320x2 -
320x3 -
640x1 -
640x2
Set display option above.
Click on
images to enlarge. |
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes arcifrons |
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes arcifrons |
|
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes baldwini |
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes baldwini |
|
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes leucorus |
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes leucorus |
|
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes redemptus |
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Stegastes redemptus |
|
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Azurina hirundo |
© Copyright Ross Robertson, 2006
· 12 Microspathodon dorsalis |
|
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Chromis |
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Chromis alta |
|
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Chromis alta |
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Chromis atrilobata |
|
© Copyright Photographer/SFTEP, 2002
· 0 Chromis crusma |
© Copyright Photographer/SFTEP, 2002
· 0 Chromis intercrusma |
|
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Chromis limbaughi |
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Chromis limbaughi |
|
© Copyright Roger Steene, 2006
· 0 Chromis limbaughi |
© Copyright Gerald Allen, 2006
· 0 Pomacentridae |
See
| |
| IDnature guides | |
Overview |
Main identification features
- compressed, oval
- 1 dorsal fin base spiny part greater than base soft part
- mouth small, terminal
- head and bases of median fins scaled
- scales large, rough
FAMILY POMACENTRIDAE
DAMSELFISHES, GARIBALDIS, GREGORIES, SERGEANT-MAJORS, CHROMIS, NIGHT-SERGEANTS
Damselfishes are elongate to ovoid, compressed fishes with a single continuous dorsal fin of XII-XIV species and 10-17 soft rays (up to XVII spines and 21 soft rays in other regions); the base of the spinous portion is longer than the soft; the anal fin has II spines and 10-14 soft rays; the caudal fin varies from slightly to strongly concave, to forked. The scales are moderately large and rough; the head is largely scaled, as are the basal parts of the median fins.
Eastern Pacific Damselfishes are one of the most abundant groups of reef fishes. Most inhabit the tropics, but a number of species live in cooler temperate waters. They display remarkable diversity with regards to habitat preference, feeding habits, and behaviour. Coloration is highly variable ranging from drab hues of brown, grey and black to brilliant combinations of orange, yellow, and neon blue. A number of species have juvenile stages characterized by a yellow body with bright blue stripes crossing the upper head and back. Most damselfishes are territorial, particularly algal-feeding species such as Stegastes. They zealously defend their small plot against all intruders regardless of size. Damsels exhibit a highly stereotyped mode of reproduction in which one or both partners clear a nest site on the bottom and engage in courtship displays of rapid swimming and fin extension. Males generally guard the eggs which are attached to the bottom by adhesive strands. The eggs hatch within about 2-7 days and the fragile larvae rise to the surface. They develop in the ocean for periods which vary between about 10-50 days, depending on the species. Eventually the young fish settle to the bottom and their largely transparent bodies quickly assume the juvenile coloration. Damselfishes feed on a wide variety of plant and animal material. Generally, the drab-colored species feed mainly on algae, whereas many of the brightly patterned species and also members of the genus Chromis obtain their nourishment from current-borne plankton. Past authors have used the generic names Pomacentrus and Eupomacentrus for the eastern Pacific species now placed in Stegastes. The family was recently reviewed by Allen (1991).
The damselfish family Pomacentridae occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. Approximately three-fourths of the 321 known species from 28 genera are found in the Indo-West Pacific region where they are common inhabitants of coral reefs. In the eastern Pacific 24 species from 7 genera have been reported, all of which are endemic to this region, as are 2 of the genera; 22 are found in the tropical area covered here.
|
References |
- Aburto-Oropeza , O. and Balart, E. F., 2001., Community structure of reef fish in several habitats of a rocky reef in the Gulf of California., Marine Ecology, 22:283-305.
- Acosta Salmón , H. and Martínez Fernández, E., 2000., Propuesta preliminar ... de concha nacar (Pteria sterna Gould, 1851) en la Bahía de la Paz, Baja California Sur, México. En Aburto Oropeza, O. y C. A. Sánchez Ortiz (Eds.). Recursos arrecifales del Golfo de California, …., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:95-106.
- Allen , G.R. and Robertson, D.R., 1994., Fishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific., Crawford House Press Pty Ltd:1-332.
- Allen , G.R. and Robertson, D.R., 1997., An Annotated Checklist of the fishes of Clipperton Atoll, Tropical Eastern Pacific., Revista de Biologia Tropical, 45:813-843.
- Allen , G.R. and Woods, L.P., 1980., A review of the damselfish genus Stegastes from the eastern Pacific with description of a new species., Rec. West. Aust. Mus., 8:171-198.
- Almenara Roldán, S. C., 2000., Demanda internacional en el manejo de especies marinas de ornato. En Aburto Oropeza, O. y C. A. Sánchez Ortiz (Eds.). Recursos arrecifales del Golfo de California, estrategias de manejo para las especies marinas de ornato., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:30-38.
- Ayres, W. O., 1859., On new fishes of the Californian coast., Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (Series 1), 2:25-32.
- Balart , E. F. , Castro-Aguirre , J. L. , Aurioles-Gamboa , D. , García-Rodriguez , F. and Villavicencio-Garayzar, C., 1995., Adiciones a la ictiofauna de Bahía de la Paz, Baja California Sur, México., Hidrobiologica, 5:79-85.
- Balart , E. F. , Castro-Aguirre , J. L. and De Lachica-Bonilla, F., 1997., Análisis comparativo de las comunidades ícticas de fondos blandos y someros de la Bahía de La Paz, B.C. S.. En Urbán Ramírez, J. y M. Ramírez Rodríguez (Eds.). La Bahía de La Paz investigación y conservación., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:177-188.
- Breder, C.M. Jr., 1936., Scientific results of the second oceanographic expedition of the "Pawnee" 1926. Heterosomata to Pediculati from Panama to Lower California., Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Collect. Yale Univ., 2(3):1-56.
- Béarez, P., 1996., Lista de los Peces Marinos del Ecuador Continental., Revista de Biologia Tropical, 44:731-741.
- Castri-Aguirre, J.L., Espinoza-Pérez, H. and Schmitter-Soto, J.J., 2002., Lista sitemática, biogeográfica y ecológica de la ictiofauna estuarino lagunar y vicaria de México. En: Lozano-Vilano, M. L. (Ed.). Libro Jubilar en Honor al Dr. Salvador Contreras Balderas., Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León:117-142.
- Castro-Aguirre , J. L. and Balart, E. F., 1997., Contribución al conocimiento de la ictiofauna de fondos blandos y someros de la Ensenada de La Paz y Bahía de La Paz, B.C.S.. En Urbán Ramírez, J. y M. Ramírez Rodríguez (Eds.). La Bahía de La Paz investigación y conservación., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:139-150.
- Castro-Aguirre, J.L. and Balart, E.F., 2002., La ictiofauna de las islas Revillagigedos y sus relaciones zoogeograficas, con comentarios acerca de su origen y evolucion. En: Lozano-Vilano, M. L. (Ed.). Libro Jubilar en Honor al Dr. Salvador Contreras Balderas., Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León:153-170.
- Castro-Aguirre, J.L., 1999., Ictiofauna estuarino-lagunar y vicaria de México., Editorial Limusa S.A. de C.V.: 1-629pp.
- Clark, H.W., 1936., The Templeton Crocker Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences.1932. No. 29. New and noteworthy fishes., Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (Series 4), 4:21(29):383-396.
- Cuesta, T.C., 1932., Lista de los peces de las costas de la Baja California., Inst. Biol. Mexico, Anal, 3(1):75-80.
- Cuvier , G. and Valenciennes, A., 1833., Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome neuvième. Suite du livre neuvième. Des Scombéroïdes., Histoire Naturelle Des Poissons, 9:1-512.
- De la Cruz , J. , Galvan , F. , Abitia , L. A. , Rodriguez , J. and Gutierrez, F. J., 1994., Lista sistematica de los peces marinos de Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur (Mexico). Systematic List of marine fishes from Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur (Mexico)., Ciencias Marinas, 20:17-31.
- Edgar, G.J. Banks, S., Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M. and Martínez, C., 2004., Regional biogeography of shallow reef fish and macro-invertebrate communities in the Galapagos archipelago., Journal of Biogeography, 31:1107-1124.
- Elorduy Garay , J. F. and Jiménez Gutiérrez, S. V., 2000., Metodologías para el estudio de los peces de arrecife. En Aburto Oropeza, O. y C. A. Sánchez Ortiz (Eds.). Recursos arrecifales del Golfo de California, estrategias de manejo para las especies marinas de ornato., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:72-82.
- Eschmeyer , W. N. , Herald , E. S. and Hamman, H., 1983., A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. Peterson Field Guide Ser. 28., Houghton Mifflin:336pp.
- Evermann , B. W. and Radcliffe, L., 1917., The fishes of the West Coast of Peru and the Titicaca Basin., Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 95:1-166.
- Findley, L.T., Hendrickx, M.E., Brusca, R.C., van der Heiden, A.M., Hastings, P.A., Torre, J., 2003., Diversidad de la Macrofauna Marina del Golfo de California, Mexico., CD-ROM versión 1.0. Projecto de la Macrofauna del Golfo . Derechos reservados de los autores y Conservación Internacional.
- Fischer , W. , Krup , F. , Schneider , W. , Sommer , C. , Carpenter , K. E. and Niem, V. H., 1995., Guia FAO para la Identificacion de Especies de para los fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. Volumen III. Vertebrados - Parte 2., FAO3:1201-1813.
- Fowler, H.W., 1916., Cold-Blooded Vertebrates from Costa Rica and the Canal Zone., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 68:389-414.
- Fowler, H.W., 1944., Results of the Fifth George Vanderbilt Expedition (1941) (Bahamas, Caribbean sea, Panama, Galapagos Archipelago and Mexican Pacific Islands). The Fishes., Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadel., Monographs, 6:57-529.
- Galván-Magaña, F., Abitia-Cárdenas, L.A., Rodríguez-Romero, J., Pérez-España, H., Chávez-Ramos, H., 1996., Systematics list of the fishes from Cerralvo island, Baja California Sur, Mexico., Ciencias Marinas, 22:295-311.
- Galván-Magaña, F., Gutiérrez-Sánchez, F., Abitia-Cárdenas, L.A., Rodríguez-Romero, J., 2000., The distribution and affinities of the shore fishes of the Baja California Sur lagoons. In Aquatic Ecosystems of Mexico: Status and Scope. Eds. M. Manuwar, S.G. Lawrence, I.F. Manuwar & D.F. Malley. Ecovision World Monograph Series., Backhuys Publishers:383-398.
- Gilbert, C.H., 1890., A preliminary report on the fishes collected by the steamer "Albatross" on the Pacific coast of North America during the year 1889, with descriptions of twelve new genera and ninety-two new species., Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 13:49-126.
- Gilbert, C.H., 1892., Scientific results of explorations by the U. S. Fish Commission steamer "Albatross." 22. Descriptions of thirty-four new species of fishes collected in 1888 and 1889, principally among the Santa Barbara Islands and in the Gulf of California., Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 14:539-566.
- Gill, T.N., 1862., Catalogue of the fishes of Lower California in the Smithsonian Institution, collected by Mr. J. Xantus. Part 1., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 14:140-151.
- Girard, C., 1854., Observations upon a collection of Fishes made on the Pacific coast of the United States, by Liut. W. P. Trowbridge, U. S. A., for the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 7:142-156.
- González Navarro , E. and Saldierna Martínez, R., 1997., Zooplancton de la Bahía de La Paz, B.C.S. (1990-1991). En Urbán Ramírez, J. y M. Ramírez Rodríguez (Eds.). La Bahía de La Paz investigación y conservación., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:43-58.
- Gotshall, D.W., 1996., Fishes of Rocas Alijos. In Rocas Alijos. Ed. R. W. Schmieder. Cornell Expeditions., Kluwer Academic Publishers: 347-354.
- Greenfield , D.W. and Woods, L.P., 1980., Review of the deep-bodied species of Chromis (Pisces: Pomacentridae) from the eastern Pacific, with descriptions of three new species., Copeia, 1980:626-641.
- Grove , J.S. , Gerzon , D. , Saa , M.D. and Strang, C., 1986., Distribución y ecología de la familia Pomacentridae (Pisces) en las Islas Galápagos., Revista de Biologia Tropical, 34:127-140.
- Heller , E. and Snodgrass, R.E., 1903., Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos expedition, 1898-1899. XV. New fishes., Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., 5:189-229.
- Hildebrand, S.F., 1946., A descriptive catalog of the shore fishes of Peru., Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 189:1-530.
- Hooker, Y., 1998., Fauna asociada a las aguas cálidas presentes en la Bahía de Pucusana durante El Niño 1997-98, Junio a Julio de 1997., Instituto del Mar del Peru, Informe., 85:3-20.
- Humann, P., 1993., Reef Fish Identification: Galapagos., New World Publishing:192pp.
- Hunter, J. R. and Mitchell, C. T., 1966., Association of fishes with flotsam in the offshore waters of Central America., Fishery Bulletin, 66:13-29.
- Jimenez-Prado, P., Béarez, P., 2004., Peces marinos del Ecuador continental / Marine fishes of continental Ecuador., SIMBIOE/NAZCA/IFEA tomo 1 y 2.
- Jordan , D.S. and Evermann, B.W., 1898., The fishes of North and Middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the species of fish-like vertebrates found in the waters of North America, north of the Isthmus of Panama. Part II., Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 47:1241-2183.
- Jordan , D.S. and Gilbert, C.H., 1882., List of Fishes now in the Museum of Yale College, Collected by Prof. Frank H. Bradley, at Panama, with Descriptions of Three New Species., Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 5:620-632.
- Jordan , D.S. and Gilbert, C.H., 1883., Catalogue of the fishes collected by Mr. John Xantus at Cape San Lucas, which are now in the United States National Museum, with descriptions of eight new species., Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 5(1882):353-371.
- Jordan , D.S. and Gilbert, C.H., 1883., List of the fishes now in the museum of Yale College, collected by Prof. Frank H. Bradley at panama, with descriptions of three new species., Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 5(1882):620-632.
- Jordan , and McGregor,., 1898., List of fishes collected at the Revillagigedo archipelago and neighboring islands., Rept. U.S. Fisheries Comm., 24:271-284.
- Jordan, D.S., 1895., The fishes of Sinaloa., Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (Series 2), 5:377-514.
- Kendall , W.C. and Radcliffe, L., 1912., The shore fishes. Reports on the scientific results of the expedition to the eastern tropical Pacific, ... by the U.S. Fish Commission steamer ALBATROSS, from October, 1904, to March, 1905, Lieut. Commander L.M. Garret, U.S.N., Commanding. XXV., Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 35(3):75-171.
- Lea, R.N. and McAlary, F., 1994., Occurrence of the swallow damselfish, Azurina hirundo, from islands off Southern California., Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, 93:42-44.
- Lea, R.N. and Rosenblatt, R.H., 2000., Observations on fishes associated with the 1997-1998 El Niño off California., CalCOFL Rep., 41:117-129.
- Lopez , M. I. and Bussing, W. A., 1982., Lista provisional de los peces marinos de la Costa Rica., Revista de Biologia Tropical, 30(1):5-26.
- Love, M.S., Mecklenburg, C.W., Mecklenburg, T.A., Thorsteinson, L.K., 2005., es of the West Coast and Alaska: a checklist of North Pacific and Artic Ocena species from Baja California to the Alaska-Yukon border., U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, 288pp.
- Madrid Vera , J. , Ruíz Luna , A. and Rosado Bravo, I., 1998., Peces de la plataforma continental de Michoacán y sus relaciones regionales en el Pacífico mexicano., Revista de Biologia Tropical, 42(2):267-276.
- McCosker , J.E. , Merlen , G. , Long , D.J. , Gilmore , R.G. and Villon, C., 1997., Deepslope fishes collected during the 1995 eruption of isla Fernandina, Galapagos., Charles Darwin Foundation, Noticias de Galápagos., 58:22-26.
- McCosker , J.E. and Rosenblatt, R.H., 1975., Fishes collected at Malpelo Island. In Graham, J.B. (ed.) The Biological Investigation of Malpelo Island, Colombia., Smithsonian Contrib. Zool., 176:91-93.
- Meek , S.E. and Hildebrand, S.F., 1925., The marine fishes of Panama. Part II., Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser. Publ., XV:331-707.
- Mora, C., Francisco, V. and Zapata, F. A., 2001., Dispersal of juvenile and adult reef fishes associated with floating objects and their recruitment into Gorgona island reefs, Colombia., Bull. Mar. Sci., 68:557-561.
- Nelson, J.S., 1984., Fishes of the World (Third edition)., John Wiley and Sons:523pp.
- Nichols, J.T., 1924., A contribution to the ichthyology of the Galapagos., Zoologica, 5:63-65.
- Orellana, J.J., 1985., Marine Fishes of Los Cóbanos: Fishes of El Salvador., Sigma Found:126pp.
- Osburn , R. C. and Nichols, J. T., 1916., Shore Fishes Collected by the 'Albatross' Expedition in Lower California with Descriptions of New Species., Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 35:139-181.
- Pondella II, D.J., 1997., The first occurrence of the panamic sergeant major, Abudefduf troschelii (Pomacentridae), in California., Calif. Fish & Game, 83:84-86.
- Pondella II, D.J., Gintert, B.E., Cobb, J.R., Allen, L.G., 2005., Biogeography of the nearshore rocky-reef fishes at the southern and Baja California islands., Journal of Biogeography, 32:187-201.
- Ricker, K.E., 1959., Fishes collected from the Revillagigedo Islands during the 1954-1958 cruises of the "Marijean."., Univ. Brit. Columbia Inst. Fish., Mus. Contrib., 4:10pp.
- Ricker, K.E., 1959., Mexican shore and pelagic fishes collected from Acapulco to Cape San Lucas during the 1957 cruise of the "Marijean"., Univ. Brit. Columbia Inst. Fish., Mus. Contrib., 3:18pp.
- Robertson , D.R. and Allen, G.A., 1996., Zoogeography of the shorefish fauna of Clipperton Atoll., Coral Reefs, 15:121-131.
- Rodríguez-Romero, J., Abitia-Cárdenas, L.A., Galván-Magaña, F., Gutiérrez-Sanchez, F.J., Aguilar-Palomino, B., Arvizú-Martínez, J., 1998., Ecology of fish communities from the soft bottoms of Bahía Concepción, México., Arch. Fish. Mar. Res., 46:61-76.
- Rubio , R. E. A. and Estupiñan, F., 1990., Ictiofauna del Parque Nacional Natural Sanquianga, un Analisis de su Estructura y Perspectivas para su Manejo., Memorias del VII Seminario Nacional de las Ciencias y Tecnologías del Mar. Comisión Colombiana de Oceanografía. Bogota, Colombia., :660-670.
- Rubio, E.A., 1986., Notas sobre la ictiofauna de la Isla de Gorgona, Colombia., Boletin Ecotropica. Univ. Bog. Jorge Tadeo Lozano, 13:86-112.
- Rubio, E.A., 1988., Estudio taxonomico de la ictiofauna acompañante del camaron en areas costeras del Pacifico de Colombia., Memorias del VI Seminario Nacional de las Ciencias del Mar. Comisión Colombiana de Oceanografía. Bogota, Colombia., :169-183.
- Snodgrass , R. E. and Heller, E., 1905., Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos expedition, 1898-1899. XVII. Shorefishes of the Revillagigedo, Clipperton, Cocos and Galapagos Island., Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., 6:333-427.
- Starks, E. C., 1906., On a Collection of fishes made by P. O. Simons in Ecuador and Peru., Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 30:761-800.
- Sánchez Ortíz , C. , Arreola Robles , J. L. , Aburto Oropeza , O. and Cortés Hernández, M., 1997., Peces de arrecife en la región de La Paz, B.C.S.. En Urbán Ramírez, J. y M. Ramírez Rodríguez (Eds.). La Bahía de La Paz investigación y conservación., Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur:189-200.
- Thomson , D.A. , Findley , L.T. and Kerstitch, A.N., 2000., Reef fishes of the Sea of Cortez., University of Texas Press(Revised Ed.):353.
- Tschudi, J. J. von., 1846., Ichthyologie. Pp. ii-xxx + 1-35, Pls. 1-6. In: Untersuchungen über die Fauna Peruana., Scheitlin & Zollikofer:1-693.
- Van der Heiden , A. M. and Findley, L. T., 1988., Lista de los peces marinos del sur de Sinaloa, México., Anales del Centro de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia de la Universidad Autonoma Nacional de Mexico, 15:209-224.
- Vega, A.J., Villareal, N., 2003., Peces asociados a arrecifes y manglares en el Parque Nacional Coiba., Tecnociencia, 5:65-76.
- Victor, B. C. and Wellington, G. M., 2000., Endemism and the pelagic larval duration of reef fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean., Marine Ecology Progress Series, 205:241-248.
- Villareal-Cavazos, A., Reyes-Bonilla, H., Bermúdez-Almada, B. and Arizpe-Covarrubias, O., 2000., Los peces del arrecife de Cabo Pulmo, Golfo de California, México: Lista sistemática y aspectos de abundancia y biogeografía., Rev. Biol. Trop., 48:413-424.
- Walker, B. W. and Baldwin, W. J., 1964., Provisional check list of fishes of the Revillagigedo islands., 18 pp.
- Wellington, G. M. and Victor, B. C., 1989., Planktonic larval duration of one hundred species of Pacific and Atlantic damselfishes (Pomacentridae)., Marine Biology, 101:557-567.
- Wellington, G. M. and Victor, B. C., 1992., Regional differences in duration of the planktonic larval stage of reef fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean., Marine Biology, 113:491-498.
- Wellington, G.M. and Robertson, D. R., 2001., Variation in larval life-history traits among reef fishes across the Isthmus of Panama., Marine Biology, 138:11-22.
|
Acknowledgements |
I thank Ashley MacDonald and John Pickering, University of Georgia, for technical support in building this page.
|
Top
Updated: 2024-10-10 11:27:56 gmt © Designed by The Polistes Corporation
|
|