THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by bigger fish.
Bicolor Chromis
Chromis margaritifer (Pomacentridae)
Damselfishes and Anemonefishes
Distribution: Indian and Pacific oceans:
Christmas Island and northwestern Australia
in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Line and
Tuamoto Islands.
Habitat: Coastal reefs, among mixed algae-coral
reef or rocky reefs. Found on exposed seaward
reefs; less abundant in lagoons and channels.
Appearance: Dark brown, almost black,
with white rear body including tail and rear
dorsal and anal fins. Caudal fin lobes end in
two filaments. Black spot at base of pectoral
fin. Spine tips of the dorsal fin are blue. Max
length: 9 cm.
Diet: Zooplankton, algae. Feeds in large
groups.
Blacksmith
Chromis punctipinnis (Pomacentridae)
Damselfishes and Anemonefishes
Distribution: Monterey Bay to central Baja
California.
Habitat: Large schools of hundreds of
individuals are common during the day above
nearshore rocky reefs to 45 m. Shelter at night
on or near crevices, again often in groups.
Appearance: Gray-blue or gray on sides with
black spots on rear of body. Length about 30
cm.
Diet: Zooplankton (copepods and other
crustacean larvae and eggs).
Reproduction and Development: Males
prepare nest sites in overhangs or small caves
of reefs, and guard eggs. Females oviparous.
Spawn summer or fall.
Mortality/Longevity: Predators include other
fishes (including kelp bass, moray eels, and
lingcod), marine mammals (harbor seals,
California sea lions), and birds.
Ternate Chromis
Chromis ternatensis (Pomacentridae)
Damselfishes
Distribution: Red Sea, East Africa to Samoa,
Japan south to New Caledonia and the Great
Barrier Reef.
Habitat: Over Acropora coral in upper margins
California Academy of Sciences
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of clear lagoon and outer reef slopes at depths
of 2–36 m.
Appearance: Colored brown with silvery white
to bluish lower parts, black borders on forked
tail. Length to 10 cm.
Diet: Plankton. Feed in huge aggregations
above reefs.
Reproduction and Development: Females
lay elliptical, demersal eggs that are guarded
by the male.
Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by larger
fishes, for example groupers.
Green Chromis aka Blue Green Chromis
Chromis viridis (Pomacentridae)
Damselfishes
Distribution: Indo-Pacific.
Habitat: Reef flats, shallow lagoons, sheltered
seaward reefs to 12 m. Huge aggregations
above branching corals, often well above the
bottom. Swarms of juveniles occur above
smaller isolated coral heads.
Appearance: Length to 9 cm. Adults sea-foam
green in color. Courting males develop blackish
dorsal rays and upper pectoral rays. Caudal
fin deeply forked with very long, trailing tips.
Diet: Plankton.
Reproduction and Development: Elliptical
demersal eggs are guarded by the male.
Sapphire Devil
Chrysiptera cyanea (Pomacentridae)
Damselfishes
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: eastern edge
of Indian Ocean and Western Australia to New
Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and
Ryukyu Islands.
Habitat: Rubble and coral of clear sheltered
lagoons and subtidal reef flats.
Appearance: Brilliant light-blue color. Exhibits
marked sexual dichromatism: juveniles and
females usually have small black spot at rear
base of dorsal fin and in some areas (e.g., Micronesia)
lack yellow; males have bright yellow
snout and tail, orange in some regions, and lack
black spot. Size up to 8.5 cm.
Diet: Omnivore. Feeds on algae, pelagic tunicates
and copepods. In the wild, stakes out a
territory and “farms” the algae that grow in
the area.
Reproduction and Development: Damsels