damselfish

Scientific name Chromis chromis
Descriptor Linnaeus
Year of description 1758
IUCN category LC
Family Pomacentridae
Genus Chromis
Chromis chromis Chromis chromis

Introduction

Chromis chromis, commonly known as damselfish, is a salt water fish.

Who is it?

Morphology

  • Average size
    10 cm
  • Maximum size
    12 cm
  • Longevity
    4 year
  • Average size
    10 cm
  • Maximum size
    12 cm
  • Longevity
    4 year

How to recognize the damselfish ?

The damselfish measures around 10 cm. The dominant males can however reach 12 cm. The damselfish measures around 10 cm. The females are more imposing and some specimens can reach 12 cm. This fish is unicolore with a predominantly noir and gris body.

Sexual dimorphism

The female is bigger than the male.
The adult male is bigger than the female.

Behaviour & Life cycle

  • diet
    omnivorous with carnivorous tendency
  • Sociability
    living in shoals
  • territorial
    Yes
  • Way of living
    diurnal

The damselfish is a fish living in shoals naturally found near the bottom. This species is omnivorous with carnivorous tendency .

This species is territorial and does not appreciate the presence of intruders nearby, especially animals with similar behavior. However, the damselfish has little concern for non-territorial animals.

Reproduction

  • Reproduction
    ovipare qui pond sur substrat caché

The damselfish is a fish ovipare qui pond sur substrat caché. This fish protects its eggs from nearby predators.

Harmless species

This species does not represent any particular threats to humans when encountered in its natural environment.

Where to find it?

Where to see this species?

What is its habitat?

Natural environment characteristics

  • Temperature
    14 - 26 °C
  • Depth
    2 - 40 m

Biotope presentation

The damselfish is most often found at a depth between 2m and 40m. However, it is not impossible to find this species at other depths.

Species of the same biotope

To go further

Species of the same family

To read on the web

Sources & Contributions

Participation & Validation

The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.

Adrien Falzon

Adrien Falzon

Translation

Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.

Bibliographic references

Colonial Nesting and the Importance of the Brood Size in Male Parasitic Reproduction of the Mediterranean Damselfish Chromis chromis (Pisces: Pomacentridae) - Marta Picciulin - Laura Verginella - Maurizio Spoto - Enrico A. Ferrero - Environmental Biology of Fishes - 2004.

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Species of the same biotope

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