Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 1 - 50 m (Ref. 1602). Tropical; 32°N - 32°S, 96°E - 136°W
Eastern Central Indian Ocean to Western Pacific: : Cocos-Keeling Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean to Samoa and the Line Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Rowley Shoals (eastern Indian Ocean) and Lord Howe Island (Ref. 37816). Not found in the Hawaiian and Society islands and islands beyond. Replaced by Dascyllus carneus in the Indian Ocean (Ref. 37816).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30874)
soft rays: 12 - 14. Color variable according to ecological and behavioral conditions: basically body whitish with snout, interorbital and forehead greenish; black bar on anterior and a fainter one on posterior part of the body; blackish scale margins; pelvic fins mostly black; pectorals transparent with a spot on its base. Margins of preorbital, suborbital, and preoperculum finely serrated (Ref. 2746). Body depth 1.4-1.6 in SL (Ref. 90102).
Adults occur in outer lagoon and seaward reefs. They inhabit branching coral heads, particularly Pocillopora eydouxi. Form schools, often in silty habitats (Ref. 48636). Male prepares a nest by cleaning with its mouth a rock or coral surface where the female will attach the eggs (Ref. 5503). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Diurnal species (Ref. 54980; 113699).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Benthic spawner. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205). Also Ref. 103751.
Randall, H.A. and G.R. Allen, 1977. A revision of the damselfish genus Dascyllus (Pomacentridae) with description of a new species. Rec. Aust. Mus. 31(9):349-385. (Ref. 2746)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 123251)
CITES (Ref. 123416)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969
): 24.6 - 28.9, mean 27.6 °C (based on 448 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5005 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.03020 (0.01847 - 0.04939), b=3.01 (2.87 - 3.15), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245
Trophic level (Ref. 69278
): 3.1 ±0.31 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 2.1 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.5).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (25 of 100) .