Chromis chromis

Damselfish ( Chromis chromis )

The damselfish ( Chromis chromis ) is a Damselfish (Pomacentridae ). The fish are 13 inches long, with a body height of 2.1 to 2.5 centimeters. The hull is covered by strikingly tall, dark- edged scales, adult animals are maroon, juvenile bright blue. The dorsal fin has 14 fin rays, nine to eleven soft, the anal fin two hard and nine to eleven soft rays. Your caudal fin is deeply forked.

Dissemination

Damselfish live on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, and on the coasts of the eastern Atlantic, from the southern Bay of Biscay to Portugal, South Africa to Luanda, also in the Canary Islands, Madeira, the Azores, Cape Verde and São Tomé at depths of two to 40 meters. In the Mediterranean, they are among the most common fish.

Way of life

Damselfish live in small schools over rocky reefs and seagrass beds and feed on small planktonic and benthic invertebrates and fish fry.

Reproduction

In summer, the males form over rocks or boulders small territories and brush part with the mouth free of algae and other nursery. Gone Floating females are bebalzt to swim through and sudden reversals for spawning. Is a female spawning ready so it sets the sticky eggs to the prepared surface, which are then fertilized by the male. The male then guards the brood before spawning predators, fanning with their fins to fresh water. After just one week the larvae hatch and brood care instinct goes out.

Swell

• Gerald R. Allen: Damselfishes of the world, Mergus Verlag Melle, 1991, ISBN 3-88244-007-4
• Matthias Berg Bauer, Bernd Humberg: What lives in the Mediterranean, 1999, Franckh - Kosmos Verlag, ISBN 3-440-07733-0?