©Mark Rosenstein
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small silvery-green fish with a deep laterally compressed body and distinct silver scale margins. The tail has black edges and three darker vertical bars are sometimes present.
Size
- Up to 11 cm (Standard length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Favours areas of rich coral growth in with good current flow, however this species is found in almost all reef habitats around the island.
Found in most locations around the Island.
Behaviour
The Staghorn Damsel is a common plankton feeding damselfish found near coral rich areas. They are usually seen singly or in broadly spaced groups of 2-10 fish, often over the top of staghorn Acropora coral. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and drift algae. Reproduction occurs over the summer months, and males maintain a benthic nest site on an exposed branch of dead Staghorn coral where multiple females may deposit eggs.
Web resources
References
- Bay, L.K., R.H. Crozier and M.J. Caley (2006). The relationship between population genetic structure and pelagic larval duration in coral reef fishes on the Great Barrier Reef, Marine Biology, 149: 1247-1256. LIRS catalog number 1002.
- Leis, J.M., K.J. Wright and R.N. Johnson (2007). Behaviour that influences dispersal and connectivity in the small, young larvae of a reef fish, Marine Biology, 153: 103-117. LIRS catalog number 1067.
- Nakamura, Y., H. Kawasaki and M. Sano (2006). Experimental analysis of recruitment patterns of coral reef fishes in seagrass beds: Effects of substrate type, shape, and rigidity, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 71: 559-568. LIRS catalog number 90086.