|
| |
|
Related FAQs: Chromis
Damsels, Chromis FAQs 2,
Chromis Identification,
Chromis Behavior, Chromis Compatibility,
Chromis Selection,
Chromis Systems, Chromis Feeding,
Chromis Disease,
Chromis Reproduction, Damsel
Identification, Damsel Selection, Damsel
Compatibility, Damsel Feeding, Damsel
Disease, Damsel Reproduction,
Related Articles: The
Damselfish family Pomacentridae,
/A Diversity of Fishes
Genus Chromis
Damsels
|
|
|
By Bob Fenner |
A school of Chromis viridis in Fiji
|
Aquarium Species of Chromis of Interest:
If one wanted, they could have a marine store stocking nothing but these
small, peaceful fishes. The genus Chromis comprises some eighty described
species.
| Chromis acares Randall & Swerdloff 1973, the
Midget Chromis. Pacific Plate; Mariana Is. to Hawaiian, Society Islands.
To one and three quarter inches in length. This one in Roratonga, Cook
Islands. |
|
| Chromis agilis Smith 1960, the Reef Chromis.
Widespread in the Indo-west Pacific, including Hawaiian Islands where this
species is most frequently gathered for the aquarium trade. To three
inches in length. A good species for reef tanks. Hawai'i images of a
juvenile and adult. |
 
|
| Chromis alpha Randall 1988, the Yellow-Speckled
Chromis. Western and central southern Pacific, plus eastern Indian Ocean.
To about three inches in length. A touchier species that rarely makes its
way into the hobby, mainly from Fiji. One in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia,
another in Fiji. |
 
|
| Chromis amboinensis (Bleeker 1873), the Ambon
Chromis. West-central Pacific; Cocos-Keeling Islands to Samoa and the
Marshall Islands. To three inches in length. This one off of Queensland,
Australia. |
|
| Chromis analis (Cuvier 1830), Yellow Chromis. To 17
cm. in length. Western Pacific; Japan, Australia, Fiji. One in
Fiji, another in N. Sulawesi. |
 
|
| Chromis atripectoralis Welander & Schultz 1951,
the Black-Axil Chromis. Very similar to the oh-so-common Blue Chromis, C.
viridis, but distinguished by a prominent black blotch at their insertion
to the pectoral fins. Indo-Pacific but not Hawai'i. This specimen in
Australian waters. To four and a half inches in length. |
|
| Chromis caudalis Randall 1988, the Dusky Chromis.
Eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. To three inches in length.
Mainly imported from the Marshalls and Indonesia. A hardy species if
shipped properly and not nicked. This one in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia. |
|
| Chromis cyanea (Poey 1860), the Blue
Chromis. One of actually a few species with this common appellation. This
one hails from the tropical west Atlantic. To four inches in length. One off the coast of
Bimini and another off Cancun. |
 
|
| Chromis dimidiata (Klunzinger 1871), the Two-tone
Chromis. Indian Ocean and Red Sea (origin of this image). To two inches
overall length. A more common offering in European pet-fish markets. Red
Sea image. |
|
| Chromis hanui Randall & Sverdluff 1973, the
Chocolate-Dip Chromis. Abrupt white on caudal, dorsal and anal regions.
Hawaiian island endemic, 6-165 feet. To 3.5 inches in length. Kona
pix. |
|
| Chromis insolata (Cuvier 1830), the Olive Chromis. An
incidental Damsel shipped out of the tropical western Atlantic from time
to time. To about five inches maximum length. A juvenile in Cozumel and
adult one in the Bahamas. |
 
|
| Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods 1980,
Limbaugh's Chromis. Found only in the Sea of Cortez, twixt Mexico's Baja
and Pacific mainland. To four inches in length. This one in the Birch
Aquarium in San Diego. |
|
| Chromis margaritifer Fowler 1926, the Bicolor Chromis.
Indo-Pacific. To three and a half inches in length. This one odd of Pulau
Redang, Malaysia. |
|
| Chromis maritianis Tanaka 1917, the Japanese Chromis.
Western Pacific, around mid to southern Japan. To 11 cm. in length. Photo
of an adult by Hiroyuki Tanaka. |
|
| Chromis multilineata (Guichenot 1853), the
Yellow-Edge Chromis. Tropical west Atlantic. To about four inches maximum
length. This is another unintentional catch Damsel offered infrequently.
One in St. Lucia, another off Bonaire where the species is a common reef
inhabitant. |
 
|
| Chromis nitida (Whitley 1928), the Barrier Reef
Chromis. Western Pacific; Australia. To two and a half inches. Very
abundant within its range. |
|
| Chromis okamurai Yamakawa & Randall 1989, the Okinawan
Chromis. East China Sea; Okinawa. To 9.4 cm. Hiroyuki Tanaka pic. |
|
| Chromis ovalis (Steindachner 1900), the Oval Chromis.
Hawaiian Island endemic. Lives in groups as adults. Zoo-plankton feeder.
Adult greenish with dark fin edges. Sub-adults yellow-bodied with blue
streak over eye. Juveniles (shown, photographed off of Honaunau on the Big
Island) brilliant blue with yellow dorsal surface, and a more somber adult
elsewhere off of Kona. |
 
|
| Chromis pembae Smith 1960, the Pemba Chromis. Western
Indian Ocean; Red Sea, East Africa to Tanzania. To 13 cm. overall. Red Sea
image. Lives over steep drop offs. |
|
| Chromis punctipinnis (Cooper 1863), the Blacksmith
Chromis. A cool water member of the genus, found from central California in
the U.S. to central Baja California, Mexico in the eastern Pacific. To ten
inches in length. This eight inch one in the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long
Beach. |
|
| Chromis retrofasciata Weber 1913, the Blackbar
Chromis. Western Pacific; Indonesia to Fiji to the Ryukyus and New
Caledonia. To two inches in length. N. Sulawesi pic. |
|
| Chromis vanderbilti (Fowler 1941), Vanderbilt's
Chromis. A small beauty (to two inches) of the Central and West Pacific.
This one in the Cook Islands. A rare import best kept in a small school in
a peaceful setting. |
|
| Chromis verator Jordan & Mertz 1932, the
Threespot Chromis. Hawaiian endemic, found in deep water, generally below
60 feet to 600 feet. To eight inches long. Can brighten/dim white spots.
Kona pix. |
 
|
| Chromis weberi Fowler & Bean 1928, Weber's
Chromis. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea, East Africa to Micronesia. To 13.5 cm. in
length. Found singly or in groups at tops of steep reef edges. Red Sea
image. |
|
| Chromis xanthura (Bleeker). Here in Mabul, Malaysia. |
.JPG) |
Bibliography/Further Reading:
Allen, Gerald R. 1973. Chromis
bitaeniatus Fowler and Bean, the juvenile of Abudefduf behni (Bleeker). TFH
5/73.
Allen, Gerald R. 1975. Damselfishes of the
South Seas. TFH Publications, Neptune City, N.J.
Allen, Gerald R. 1991. Damselfishes of the
World. Aquarium Systems, Mentor, Ohio.
American Society of Ichthyologists and
Herpetologists, 1978. The Biology of the Damselfishes a symposium held during the 56th
annual meeting of the ASIH. Rosentiel School of Mar. & Atm. Sci. U. of Miami, 1980,
145-328.
Emmens, C.W. 1984. Damselfishes. TFH 9/84.
Fenner, Bob. 1989. Successfully selling the popular marines.
Pets Supplies Marketing 1/89.
Fenner, Bob & Cindi Camp, 1991.
Damselfishes, saltwater bread and butter. FAMA 10/91.
Fenner, Robert. 1998. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist.
Microcosm, VT. 432pp.
Fenner, Robert. 1999. The indomitable damsels- Family
Pomacentridae. TFH 1/99.
Flood, A. Colin. 1992. Thos darling
damsels. TFH 8/92.
Gronell, A.M., 1984. Look-alike damsels.
TFH 32(8) 48-53.
Randall, John E. 1982. Chromis pelloura;
a new species of damselfish from the northern Red Sea. FAMA 11/82.
Stratton, Richard F. 1992. The Blacksmith Damsel. TFH 4/92.
Thresher, R.E., P.L. Colin & Lori J.
Bell. 1989. Planktonic duration, distribution and population structure of western and
central Pacific damselfishes (Pomacentridae). Copeia 1989(2), pp. 420-434.
| |
|
