| Chromis chromis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In French Riviera | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| 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]
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]
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 .[ citation needed ]
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 sergeant major or píntano is a species of damselfish. It grows to a maximum length of about 22.9 centimetres.
Stegastes, commonly known as Gregories, is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Pomacentridae. Members of this genus are marine coastal fishes except for S. otophorus, which also occurs in brackish water. These fish are known by the names of damselfish, gregory and major. They are small tropical fish associated with coral and rocky reefs in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are sometimes found in the aquarium trade where they are an easy-to-keep fish, but they do not mix well with other fish of their own or other species because of their territorial habits and aggressiveness.
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.
The common dentex is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a highly valued food fish and is an important target species for fisheries and the population has shown large declines leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify its conservation status as Vulnerable.
The spiny chromis is a species of damselfish from the western Pacific. It is the only member of the genus Acanthochromis.
Neoglyphidodon melas, also known as the bowtie damselfish, black damsel, bluefin or royal damsel, is a species of damselfish found in the Indo-West Pacific. It grows to a size of 18 cm (7.1 in) in length.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
