Pomacentridae

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Clownfish and damselfish
Temporal range: Early Paleocene–present
Caribbean Cocoa damselfish.jpg
Cocoa damselfish, Stegastes variabilis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
(unranked): Ovalentaria
Family: Pomacentridae
Bonaparte, 1832 [1]
Type species
Pomacentrus pavo
Bloch, 1787
Genera

See text

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. [2] They are primarily marine, while a few species inhabit freshwater and brackish environments (e.g., Neopomacentrus aquadulcis , N. taeniurus , Pomacentrus taeniometopon , Stegastes otophorus ). [3] They are noted for their hardy constitutions and territoriality. Many are brightly colored, so they are popular in aquaria.

Contents

Around 385 species are classified in this family, in about 31 genera. Of these, members of two genera, Amphiprion and Premnas, are commonly called clownfish or anemonefish, while members of other genera (e.g., Pomacentrus ) are commonly called damselfish. [4] The members of this family are classified in four subfamilies: Amphiprioninae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, and Pomacentrinae. [5]

The earliest known fossil damselfish is Chaychanus from the Early Paleocene of Chiapas, Mexico. [6]

Etymology

The name of the family is derived from the Greek words; poma roughly translates to the English "cover", referring to the fishes' opercula, and kentron is Greek for sting. The name refers to the serrations found along the margins of the opercular bones in many members of this family. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Pomacentrids are found primarily in tropical seas, with a few species occurring in subtropical waters (e.g., Hypsypops rubicundus). Most species are found on or near coral reefs in the Indo-West Pacific (from East Africa to Polynesia). The area from the Philippines to Australia hosts the greatest concentration of species. [7] The remaining species are found in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific.[ citation needed ] Some species are native to freshwater or brackish estuarine environments. [3] [8]

Most members of the family live in shallow water, from 2 to 15 m (6 ft 7 in to 49 ft 3 in) in depth, although some species (e.g., Chromis abyssus ) are found below 100 m (330 ft). [9] Most species are specialists, living in specific parts of the reef, such as sandy lagoons, steep reef slopes, or areas exposed to strong wave action. In general, the coral is used as shelter, and many species can only survive in its presence. [8]

The bottom-dwelling species are territorial, occupying and defending a portion of the reef, often centered on shelter. By keeping away other species of fish, some pomacentrids encourage the growth of thick mats of algae within their territories, leading to the common name farmerfish. [8]

Characteristics

Indo-Pacific sergeant or damselfish in Sea of Dibba, Fujairah, UAE Indo Pacific Sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis in Sea of Dibba Fujairah UAE by Prof Dr Norman Ali Khalaf 2015.jpg
Indo-Pacific sergeant or damselfish in Sea of Dibba, Fujairah, UAE

Pomacentrids have an orbiculate to elongated body shape, which is often laterally compressed. They have interrupted or incomplete lateral lines and they usually have a single nostril on each side (some species of Chromis and Dascyllus have two on each side). [7] They have small- to medium-sized ctenoid scales. They have one or two rows of teeth, which may be conical or spatulate.

They display a wide range of colors, predominantly bright shades of yellow, red, orange, and blue, although some are a relatively drab brown, black, or grey. The young are often a different, brighter color than adults.

Pomacentrids are omnivorous or herbivorous, feeding on algae, plankton, and small bottom-dwelling crustaceans, depending on their precise habitats. Only a small number of genera, such as Cheiloprion , eat the coral where they live. [8]

Clownfish with anemone Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish) by Nick Hobgood.jpg
Clownfish with anemone

They also engage in symbiotic relationship with cleaner gobies of genus Elacatinus , allowing the gobies to feed on ectoparasites on their bodies. [10] Clownfish also have mutualistic relationships with anemones. [11] The anemone protects the clownfish while the clownfish rids parasites.

Lifecycle

Before breeding, the males clear an area of algae and invertebrates to create a nest. They engage in ritualised courtship displays, which may consist of rapid bursts of motion, chasing or nipping females, stationary hovering, or wide extension of their fins. After being attracted to the site, the female lays a string of sticky eggs that attach to the substrate. The male swims behind the female as she lays the eggs, and fertilises them externally. Varying by species, brood sizes range from 50 to 1000 eggs. [8]

The male guards the nest for the two to seven days needed for the eggs to hatch. The transparent larvae are 2 to 4 mm (0.079 to 0.157 in) long. They go through a pelagic stage, which depending on the species, can last as little as a week or more than a month. [12] When they arrive at a suitable environment, the young settle and adopt their juvenile colors. [8]

In captivity, pomacentrids live up to 18 years, but they probably do not live longer than 10 to 12 years in the wild. [8]

Genera

The 5th edition of Fishes of the World recognises 31 genera in three subfamilies in the family Pomacentridae: [2] [13] [1]

† means extinct

Other authoritiies recognise 4 subfamilies and classify the family as follows: [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damselfish</span> Group of fishes

Damselfish are those within the subfamilies Abudefdufinae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, Pomacentrinae, and Stegastinae within the family Pomacentridae. Most species within this group are relatively small, with the largest species being about 30cm in length. Most damselfish species exist only in marine environments, but a few inhabit brackish or fresh water. These fish are found globally in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters.

<i>Amphiprion</i> Genus of fishes

Amphiprion is a genus of ray-finned fish which comprises all but one of the species of clownfish or anemonefish in the subfamily Amphiprioninae of the family Pomacentridae.

A yellowtail may be any of several different species of fish. Most commonly the yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi is meant. In the context of sushi, yellowtail usually refers to the Japanese amberjack, Seriola quinqueradiata. Other species called simply "yellowtail" include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon clownfish</span> Species of fish

Premnas biaculeatus, commonly known as spine-cheeked anemonefish or the maroon clownfish, is a species of anemonefish found in the Indo-Pacific from western Indonesia to Taiwan and the Great Barrier Reef. They can grow up to be about 17 cm (6.7 in). Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy; the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male nonbreeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest nonbreeder becoming the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes algae and zooplankton.

<i>Abudefduf</i> Genus of fishes

Abudefduf, also known as the sergeant-majors, is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae.

<i>Amblyglyphidodon</i> Genus of fishes

Amblyglyphidodon is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae. These damselfish swim singly, in pairs, or in small groups. They are often found among corals.

<i>Chrysiptera</i> Genus of fishes

Chrysiptera is a genus of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae.

<i>Stegastes nigricans</i> Species of fish

Stegastes nigricans, the dusky farmerfish, is a species of damselfish found around coral reefs at a depth of one to 12 meters, in tropical climates between 30°S and 30°N. They are known for farming monocultures of algae such as cyanophores and rhodophytes.

<i>Amphiprion akallopisos</i> Species of fish

The nosestripe clownfish or nosestripe anemonefish, skunk clownfish, Amphiprion akallopisos, is an anemonefish that lives in association with sea anemones. A. akallopisos is found in the Indian Ocean. It resides in shallow inshore reefs as deep as 15 m with a moderate to strong current. The skunk clownfish can also be kept in captivity by aquarists.

<i>Amphiprion nigripes</i> Species of fish

Amphiprion nigripes, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, which includes clownfishes and damselfishes.

<i>Microspathodon chrysurus</i> Species of fish

The yellowtail damselfish is a species of damselfish native to tropical areas such as the Caribbean coast of Panama. Damselfish are abundant in coral reef environments. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists this fish as being of “least concern”. The species is exploited on a minor scale, for fisheries and the aquarium trade. It may be threatened by the invasive lionfish.

Pomacentrus aurifrons, the yellowhead damselfish, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Pomacentridae, the damselfishes and clownfishes. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

Chromis degruyi is a species of fish in the family Pomacentridae. It was first found at depths greater than 60 metres (200 ft) in a coral reef habitat in the western Pacific, specifically the Caroline Islands. It differs from its cogenerates on a colour and morphological basis.

<i>Amblyglyphidodon flavilatus</i> Species of fish

Amblyglyphidodon flavilatus, known as yellow damselfish, yellowfin damselfish, yellow flank damselfish, yellow side damselfish, and yellow-sided Damselfish, is part Pomacentridae, which is a family of ray-finned fish including damselfish and clownfish. This family represents the greatest diversity and abundance of fish species inhabiting coral reefs. They were first described in 1980 by Allen and Randall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chrominae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Chrominae is a subfamily of the family Pomacentridae, which consists of the damselfishes and the clownfishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomacentrinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Pomacentrinae is one of four subfamilies in the family Pomacentridae which includes the clownfishes and the damselfishes. It is the most diverse of the subfamilies in the Pomacentridae with around 21 genera and approximately 200 species.

Abudefduf conformis is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It is native to the eastern central Pacific Ocean, where it is known from the Marquesas Islands. The species typically occurs in reef environments at a depth of 0 to 12 m.

References

  1. 1 2 Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 001–230. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 . PMID   25543675.
  2. 1 2 J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 752. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6.
  3. 1 2 Jenkins, A.P. & G.R. Allen (2002). "Neopomacentrus aquadulcis, a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) from eastern Papua New Guinea". Records of the Western Australian Museum. 20: 379–382.
  4. 1 2 Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Pomacentridae" in FishBase . July 2007 version.
  5. ↑ Allen, G.R. (1975). Damselfishes of the South Seas. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN   978-0-87666-034-8.
  6. ↑ Cantalice, Kleyton Magno; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús; Bellwood, David Roy (2020-03-01). "†Chaychanus gonzalezorum gen. et sp. nov.: A damselfish fossil (Percomorphaceae; Pomacentridae), from the Early Paleocene outcrop of Chiapas, Southeastern Mexico". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 98: 102322. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2019.102322. ISSN   0895-9811.
  7. 1 2 Nelson, J.S. (2006). Fishes of the World. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN   978-0-471-25031-9.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Allen, Gerald R. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 205–208. ISBN   978-0-12-547665-2.
  9. ↑ Pyle, R.L., J.L. Earle & B.D. Greene (2008). "Five new species of the damselfish genus Chromis (Perciformes: Labroidei: Pomacentridae) from deep coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific". Zootaxa. 1671: 3–31. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.1671.1.2 .{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Ivan Sazima; Cristina Sazima; Ronaldo B. Francini-Filho; Rodrigo L. Moura (September 2000). "Daily cleaning activity and diversity of clients of the barber goby, Elacatinus figaro, on rocky reefs in southeastern Brazil". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 59 (1): 69–77. doi:10.1023/a:1007655819374. S2CID   24134075.
  11. ↑ "Amphiprion - Encyclopedia of Life". www.eol.org. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  12. ↑ Thresher, R.E.; Colin, P.L.; Bell, L.J. (1989). "Planktonic duration, distribution and population structure of western and central Pacific damselfishes (Pomacentridae)". Copeia. 1989 (2): 420–434. doi:10.2307/1445439. JSTOR   1445439.
  13. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Pomacentridae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  14. ↑ D. R. Bellwood and L. Sorbini (1996). "A review of the fossil record of the Pomacentridae (Teleostei: Labroidei) with a description of a new genus and species from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 117 (2): 159–174. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.1996.tb02154.x . S2CID   84430386.
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