Pomacentridae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, comprising the damselfishes and

clownfish Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus '' Premnas'', while the remaining are in the genus '' Amphiprion''. In the wild, t ...

es. This family were formerly placed in the order

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ...

but are now regarded as being ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' in the subseries

Ovalentaria Ovalentaria is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the Percomorpha, referred to as a subseries. It is made up of a group of fish families which are referred to in ''Fishes of the World's'' fifth edition as'' incertae sedis'', as well as the orde ...

in the

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English ter ...

Percomorpha Percomorpha () is a large clade of ray-finned fish that includes the tuna, seahorses, gobies, cichlids, flatfish, wrasse, perches, anglerfish, and pufferfish. Evolution Percomorpha are the most diverse group of teleost fish today. Teleosts, and ...

. They are primarily

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

, while a few species inhabit

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estua ...

environments (e.g., '' Neopomacentrus aquadulcis'', '' N. taeniurus'', '' Pomacentrus taeniometopon'', '' Stegastes otophorus''). They are noted for their hardy constitutions and

territoriality In ethology, territory is the sociographical area that an animal consistently defends against conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against animals of other species) using agonistic behaviors or (less commonly) real physical aggression. ...

. Many are brightly colored, so they are popular in aquaria. Around 385

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

are classified in this family, in about 31

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

. Of these, members of two genera, ''Amphiprion'' and ''Premnas'', are commonly called

or anemonefish, while members of other genera (e.g., ''

Pomacentrus ''Pomacentrus'' is a genus of Ocean, marine damselfish in the Family (biology), family Pomacentridae. These fish inhabit tropical locations and are often captured or bred as aquarium fish. Species There are currently 76 re ...

'') are commonly called damselfish. The members of this family are classified in four subfamilies: Amphiprioninae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, and Pomacentrinae.

Etymology

The name of the family is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words; ''poma'' roughly translates to the English "cover", referring to the fishes' opercula, and ''kentron'' is Greek for

sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

. The name refers to the serrations found along the margins of the opercular bones in many members of this family.

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 reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

s in the Indo-West Pacific (from East Africa to Polynesia). The area from the Philippines to Australia hosts the greatest concentration of species. The remaining species are found in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific. Some species are native to freshwater or brackish

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

environments. Most members of the family live in shallow water, from in depth, although some species (e.g., ''

Chromis abyssus ''Chromis abyssus'' is a species of damselfish first discovered in 1997 and described in 2008. The long fish only lives more than below the surface of the Pacific Ocean around the coast of the Ngemelis Islands, Palau. Adults have been observe ...

'') are found below . Most species are specialists, living in specific parts of the reef, such as sandy

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...

s, 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. 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 Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular micr ...

within their territories, leading to the common name farmerfish.

Characteristics

Indo Pacific Sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis in Sea of Dibba Fujairah UAE by Prof Dr Norman Ali Khalaf 2015

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). They have small- to medium-sized

ctenoid A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as ...

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 An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

, feeding on algae,

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cruc ...

, and small bottom-dwelling

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapoda, decapods, ostracoda, seed shrimp, branchiopoda, branchiopods, argulidae, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopoda, isopods, barnacles, copepods, ...

s, depending on their precise habitats. Only a small number of genera, such as '' Cheiloprion'', eat the

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

where they live. They also engage in symbiotic relationship with cleaner gobies of genus '' Elacatinus'', allowing the gobies to feed on

ectoparasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

on their bodies.

Lifecycle

Before breeding, the males clear an area of algae and invertebrates to create a nest. They engage in ritualised

courtship display A courtship display is a set of display behaviors in which an animal, usually a male, attempts to attract a mate; the mate exercises choice, so sexual selection acts on the display. These behaviors often include ritualized movement ("dances"), ...

s, 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. The male guards the nest for the two to seven days needed for the eggs to hatch. The transparent

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. T ...

are long. They go through a

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...

stage, which depending on the species, can last as little as a week or more than a month. When they arrive at a suitable environment, the young settle and adopt their juvenile colors. In captivity, pomacentrids live up to 18 years, but they probably do not live longer than 10 to 12 years in the wild.

Genera

The 5th edition of Fishes of the World recognises 31 genera in three subfamilies in the family Pomacentridae: † means extinct * Subfamily Chrominae

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

, 1975 ** '' Acanthochromis''

Gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they ar ...

, 1863: ** '' Altrichthys'' Allen, 1999 ** '' Azurina'' D.S. Jordan & McGregor, 1898 ** '' Chromis''

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1814 ** '' Dascyllus'' Cuvier, 1829 * Subfamily Lepidozyginae Allen, 1975 ** '' Lepidozygus'' Günther, 1862 * Subfamily Pomacentrinae Bonaparte, 1831 ** '' Abudefduf'' Fabricius, 1775 ** '' Amblyglyphidodon'' Bleeker, 1877 ** '' Amblypomacentrus'' Bleeker, 1877 ** '' Amphiprion''

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur * Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor journa ...

Schneider Schneider may refer to: Hospital * Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel People *Schneider (surname) Companies and organizations * G. Schneider & Sohn, a Bavarian brewery company * Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, the former owner of the D ...

, 1801 ** '' Cheiloprion'' M.C.W. Weber, 1913 ** '' Chrysiptera'' Swainson, 1839 ** '' Dischistodus'' Gill, 1863 ** '' Hemiglyphidodon'' Bleeker, 1877 ** '' Hypsypops'' Gill, 1861 ** '' Mecaenichthys'' Whitley , 1929 ** '' Microspathodon'' Günther, 1862 ** '' Neoglyphidodon'' Allen, 1991 ** '' Neopomacentrus'' Allen, 1975 ** '' Nexilosus'' Heller &

Snodgrass The family name Snodgrass is said to originate from lands in the parish of Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, known as Snodgrasse, or Snodgers, at a bend in the River Garnock at 55°38' north, 4°42' west, which were rented out in plots. Both forms are ...

, 1903 ** ''

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...

'' Günther, 1862 ** '' Plectroglyphidodon'' Fowler &

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

, 1824 ** ''

'' Lacépède, 1802 ** '' Pomachromis'' Allen &

Randall Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city *Randall, Minnesot ...

, 1974 ** '' Premnas'' Cuvier, 1816 ** '' Pristotis'' Rüppell, 1838 ** '' Similiparma'' Hemsley, 1986 ** '' Stegastes'' Jenyns, 1840 ** '' Teixeirichthys'' J. L. B. Smith, 1953 * †'' Palaeopomacentrus'' Bellwood & Sorbini, 1996 Other authoritiies recognise 4 subfamilies and classify the family as follows: * Subfamily Chrominae ** ''Azurina'' ** ''Chromis'' ** ''Dascyllus'' ** '' Pycnochromis'' Fowler, 1941 * Subfamily Glyphisodontinae ** ''Abudefduf'' * Subfamily Microspathodontinae ** ''Hypsypops'' ** ''Lepidozygus'' ** ''Mecaenichthys'' ** ''Microspathodon'' ** ''Nexilosus'' ** ''Parma (fish), Parma'' ** ''Plectroglyphidodon'' ** ''Similiparma'' ** ''Stegastes'' * Subfamily Pomacentrindeae ** ''Acanthochromis'' ** ''Altrichthys'' ** ''Amblyglyphidodon'' ** ''Amblypomacentrus'' ** ''Clownfish, Amphiprion'' ** ''Cheiloprion'' ** ''Chrysiptera'' ** ''Dischistodus'' ** ''Hemiglyphidodon'' ** ''Neoglyphidodon'' ** ''Neopomacentrus'' ** ''Pomacentrus'' ** ''Pomachromis'' ** ''Premnas'' ** ''Pristotis'' ** ''Teixeirichthys'' * †''Palaeopomacentrus'' Image:Abudefduf sexfasciatus Réunion.jpg, '' Abudefduf sexfasciatus'' Image:Acanthochromis polyacanthus.jpg, '' Acanthochromis polyacanthus'' Image:Amblyglyphidodon curacao.jpg, '' Amblyglyphidodon curacao'' Image:Green.chromis.arp.jpg, '' Chromis viridis'' Image:Crysiptera_hemicyanea.jpg, '' Chrysiptera hemicyanea'' Image:Dascyllus trimaculatus Réunion.jpg, '' Dascyllus trimaculatus'' Image:Hypsypops_rubicundus_adult.jpg, '' Hypsypops rubicundus'' Image:Yellowtail damselfish Microspathodon chrysurus (4657125482).jpg, ''

Microspathodon chrysurus The yellowtail damselfish (''Microspathodon chrysurus'') 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 ...

'' Image:Neoglyphidodon melas.jpg, '' Neoglyphidodon melas'' Image:Parma_kermadecensis_%28Kermadec_scalyfin%29.jpg, '' Parma kermadecensis'' Image:Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus Réunion.JPG, '' Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus'' Image:Pomacentrus caeruleopunctatus Réunion.jpg, '' Pomacentrus caeruleus'' Image:Maroon Clown Fish444.jpg, '' Premnas biaculeatus'' Image:Stegastes nigricans.JPG, '' Stegastes nigricans''

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-65.5 till:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:-65.5 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-65.5 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:cenozoic value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258) id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) id:neogene value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1) id:miocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0) id:pliocene value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68) id:quaternary value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5) id:pleistocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68) id:holocene value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88) BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pala ...

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but t ...

from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text: Pleist. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:eratop from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:

Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning o ...

from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:

Neogene The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...

from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q. PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:miocene bar:NAM1 from: -11.608 till: 0 text: Chromis PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:

from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text: Pleist. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:era from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:

from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:

from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q.

References

External links

* * Smith, J.L.B. 1960
Coral fishes of the family Pomacentridae from the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 19.
Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q501720 Labroidei Ovalentaria Ray-finned fish families Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte