| Chromis chromis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Family: | Pomacentridae |
| Genus: | Chromis |
| Species: | C. chromis |
| Binomial name | |
| Chromis chromis | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Chromis chromis, the damselfish or Mediterranean chromis, is a small species of ray-finned fish of the family Pomacentridae from the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Chromis chromis has an oval and laterally compressed body with an noticeably large eye. Its mouth is strongly protractile, reaching to below the centre of the eye, with small canine-like teeth set in 3 rows on the jaws. The preoperculum is not serrated and the anterior gill arch has 30 slender gill rakers. There are 13-14 spines and 10-11 soft rays in the dorsal fin and in the anal fin has 11 spines and 10-12 soft rays. Its body is covered in large scales, including the head, and there are 24-30 scales along the lateral line. The youngest fish are a brilliant iridescent blue in colour; older juveniles have blue stripes with the dorsal and anal fins outlined in blue while the adults are dark brown with the centres of each scale a paler golden brown or grey-brow and with the edge of the caudal fin lacking any colour, especially in the centre of the fork. The males become a vivid pale violet. [3] There is a single pair of nostrils.
It can grow up to a size of 25 centimetres (9.8 in) in length, with a common length of 13 centimetres (5.1 in). [4]
Chromis chromis occurs in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic, from Portugal to Angola including the Macaronesian Islands and the Gulf of Guinea Islands, appearing to be commoner off islands than off the mainland. It is uncommon in the Black Sea and Sea of Marmara. [1]
C. chromis inhabits littoral, mainly in rocky areas from 2 to 40 metres (6.6 to 131.2 ft) in depth, in small shoals in midwater above or near rocky reefs and above sea-grass meadows. [4]
It feeds on small zooplankton and benthic algae. Its main food components are copepods, appendicularia, cladocera, gastropod larvae, bivalve larvae, fish eggs and fish larvae. [5]
C. chromis feeding patterns are altered when schools are confronted with an increase in top water activity, resultantly, the species obtained a behavioral response referred to as polarizing. Polarization occurs when the species dives to deeper depths, leaving their food behind, as a mechanism to avoid confrontation. [6]
Due to small size Chromis chromis has minor role in commercial fishing. [1] As a game fish, it is often caught during the day on light tackle. Small hooks are baited with bread, pasta, small chunks of fish, mussels, worms, small prawns etc. It can be caught in fish traps and nets. Due to small size, it is rarely caught with a speargun. It is also used as a baitfish for larger species which predate on damselfish schools such as conger eel Conger conger and common dentex Dentex dentex .
White meat is soft and tender. Unfortunately, due to small size, it is mostly pan fried. Boiled with other small fish is used for fish soup. Larger specimens are prepared as part of mixed fish stew.
Spawning depends on location, but it occurs during summer. The male and females pair up and engage in courtship behaviour and the eggs are laid in a nest which is created on rocky, sometimes sandy bottoms. The eggs adhere to the substrate and are guarded by the male. [3] The female can lay between 6,050 and 73,688 eggs. [7]
Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the order Perciformes but are now regarded as being incertae sedis in the subseries Ovalentaria in the clade Percomorpha. They are primarily marine, while a few species inhabit freshwater and brackish environments. They are noted for their hardy constitutions and territoriality. Many are brightly colored, so they are popular in aquaria.
The European sprat, also known as bristling, brisling, garvie, garvock, Russian sardine, russlet, skipper or whitebait, is a species of small marine fish in the herring family Clupeidae. Found in European waters, it has silver grey scales and white-grey flesh. Specific seas in which the species occurs include the Irish Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea and Sea of the Hebrides. The fish is the subject of fisheries, particularly in Scandinavia, and is made into fish meal, as well as being used for human consumption. When used for food it can be canned, salted, breaded, fried, boiled, grilled, baked, deep fried, marinated, broiled, and smoked.
The black-axil chromis, also known as the blackfin chromis or blue-green puller, is a damselfish from the tropical Indo-Pacific. This fish can reach almost 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length. It inhabits lagoons and reefs after settlement in the late-larval stage, and often occurs in large numbers, feeding above Acropora corals. This fish mostly feeds upon copepods, amphipods, and zoea.
Chromis viridis is a species of damselfish. Individuals tend to be iridescent apple-green and light blue, and reach a maximal length of 10 cm.
The Indo-Pacific sergeant is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It may also be known as the Sergeant major although this name is usually reserved for the closely related species Abudefduf saxatilis. The closely related Abudefduf caudobimaculatus was formerly considered to be synonymous with this species and, according to some authorities, is synonymous.
Stegastes planifrons is a damselfish from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Apogon imberbis, the cardinalfish, the Mediterranean cardinalfish or king of the mullets, is a species of ray-finned fish, a cardinalfish belonging to the family Apogonidae. It is widely distributed in the Mediterranean and along the warm temperate and tropical eastern Atlantic coasts from Portugal south to the Gulf of Guinea.
Chromis brevirostris, or colloquially known as the shortsnout chromis, is a type of damselfish that was described in 2008 by R. Pyle, J. Earle, and B. Greene in the western Pacific Ocean. This species comes from the genus Chromis which contains eighty species and counting, including C. abyssus, C. circumaurea, C. degruyi, and C. earina. Chromis brevirostris can be found in the Pacific Ocean, located as far north as the Marshall Islands to as far south as Fiji and Vanuatu, and spanning from Palau to Paluwat of the Caroline Islands. The species’ name, Chromis brevirostris, derives from Latin origin; brevis and rostrum mean “short” and “snout” respectively. It is generally abundant in its environment, living at depths of 90–120 metres (300–390 ft), tending to live in groups ranging in size from six to several dozen.
The piper gurnard, also known as the piper or the lyre gurnard, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Trigla.
Stegastes fuscus, the dusky damselfish, is a species of bony fish in the family Pomacentridae found near the seabed in shallow waters on the western fringes of the Atlantic Ocean.
Chilomycterus reticulatus, the spotfin burrfish, spotted burrfish, Pacific burrfish, spotfin porcupinefish or few-spined porcupinefish, is a species of fish in the genus Chilomycterus, which is part of the porcupinefish family Diodontidae.
The Barrier Reef chromis, also known as the yellowback puller or shining puller, is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae native to the east coast of Australia. It is a small fish with a yellowish-brown dorsal surface separated by a dark stripe from its silvery flanks and underside.
The yellowtail reef fish is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae.
The fusilier damselfish is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It found in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in the aquarium hobby. Adults can grow up to a maximum length of up to 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in). It is the only species in the monotypic genus, Lepidozygus which sits in its own subfamily, the Lepidozyginae.
Sphyraena sphyraena, also known as the European barracuda or Mediterranean barracuda, is a ray-finned predatory fish of the Mediterranean basin and the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Canary damsel, or Cape Verde gregory is a species of marine fish of the family Pomacentridae. It lives primary in shallow, subtropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Orthopristis chrysoptera, the pigfish, hogfish, piggy perch, redmouth grunt or sailor's choice, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. This name derives from the grunting or chattering noise these fish make by rubbing their pharyngeal teeth together.
The Azores chromis or Atlantic chromis is a species of damselfish from the family Pomacentridae which is found in the Macaronesian Islands of the temperate eastern Atlantic Ocean and has been reported from coastal regions of western Africa.
Equulites klunzingeri, or Klunzinger's ponyfish, is a marine, demersal species of ponyfish from the family Leiognathidae which was originally found only in the Red Sea. It is colonizing the Mediterranean as part of the Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.
Stegastes xanthurus, also known as the Caribbean cocoa damselfish, is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae, found on coral and rocky reefs in the Caribbean Sea and neighboring areas of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
