''Chromis chromis'', the damselfish or Mediterranean chromis, is a small species of ray-finned fish of the family

Pomacentridae 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 ...

from the Eastern

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

Description

''Chromis chromis'' has an oval and laterally compressed body with an noticeably large eye. Its mouth is strongly protractile, reaching to below the centre of the eye, with small canine-like teeth set in 3 rows on the jaws. The

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

is not serrated and the anterior gill arch has 30 slender

gill raker Gill rakers in fish are bony or cartilaginous processes that project from the branchial arch (gill arch) and are involved with suspension feeding tiny prey. They are not to be confused with the gill filaments that compose the fleshy part of th ...

s. There are 13-14 spines and 10-11 soft rays in the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

and in the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

has 11 spines and 10-12 soft rays. Its body is covered in large scales, including the head, and there are 24-30 scales along the lateral line. The youngest fish are a brilliant iridescent blue in colour; older juveniles have blue stripes with the dorsal and anal fins outlined in blue while the adults are dark brown with the centres of each scale a paler golden brown or grey-brow and with the edge of the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

lacking any colour, especially in the centre of the fork. The males become a vivid pale violet. There is a single pair of nostrils. It can grow up to a size of in length, with a common length of .

Distribution and habitat

''Chromis chromis'' occurs in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

and eastern

, from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

including the

Macaronesian Islands Macaronesia (Portuguese: ''Macaronésia,'' Spanish: ''Macaronesia'') is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, off the coasts of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of Atlantic oceanic island ...

and the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the ...

Islands, appearing to be commoner off islands than off the mainland. It is uncommon in the Black Sea and

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...

. ''C. chromis'' inhabits littoral, mainly in rocky areas from in depth, in small shoals in midwater above or near rocky reefs and above sea-grass meadows.

Diet

It feeds on small

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

and benthic

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

. Its main food components are

copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have p ...

s, appendicularia,

cladocera The Diplostraca or Cladocera, commonly known as water fleas, are a superorder of small crustaceans that feed on microscopic chunks of organic matter (excluding some predatory forms). Over 1000 species have been recognised so far, with many more ...

, gastropod larvae,

bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, biv ...

larvae, fish eggs and fish larvae. ''C. chromis'' feeding patterns are altered when schools are confronted with an increase in top water activity, resultantly, the species obtained a behavioral response referred to as polarizing. Polarization occurs when the species dives to deeper depths, leaving their food behind, as a mechanism to avoid confrontation.

Fishing

Due to small size ''Chromis chromis'' has minor role in

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must oft ...

. As a game fish, it is often caught during the day on light tackle. Small hooks are baited with bread, pasta, small chunks of fish, mussels, worms, small prawns etc. It can be caught in fish traps and nets. Due to small size, it is rarely caught with a speargun. It is also used as a baitfish for larger species which predate on damselfish schools such as conger eel ''

Conger conger The European conger (''Conger conger'') is a species of conger of the family Congridae. It is the heaviest eel in the world and native to the northeast Atlantic, including the Mediterranean Sea. Description and behavior European congers have an ...

'' and common dentex ''

Dentex dentex The common dentex (''Dentex dentex'') is a species of fish in the family Sparidae. Etymology Genus and species Latin name ''Dentex'' is related to ''dentēs'' which means "teeth". Description Adult dentex can reach a length of , and weight ...

''.

Cuisine

White meat is soft and tender. Unfortunately, due to small size, it is mostly pan fried. Boiled with other small fish is used for fish soup. Larger specimens are prepared as part of mixed fish stew.

Reproduction

Spawning depends on location, but it occurs during summer. The male and females pair up and engage in courtship behaviour and the eggs are laid in a nest which is created on rocky, sometimes sandy bottoms. The eggs adhere to the substrate and are guarded by the male. The female can lay between 6,050 and 73,688 eggs.

Gallery

File:Alevins Chromis chromis Lamiot Le Racou9.JPG, Fry of Damselfish (in

Argelès-sur-Mer Argelès-sur-Mer (, literally ''Argelès on Sea''; ca, Argelers de la Marenda or ; oc, Argelers de Mar), commonly known as Argelès, is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in the administrative region of Occitania, France. It i ...

in France File:School of chromis (and mystery fish).jpg, School of chromis (

saddled seabream The saddled seabream (''Oblada melanura''), also called the saddle bream or oblade, is a species of fish of the family Sparidae. It is monotypic in the genus ''Oblada''. Description It has a fuse-shaped blueish-silver body, with a black spot nea ...

in the background) File:Costa Cabo de Gata 27.JPG, osta Cabo de Gata 27

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1307785 chromis Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish of Europe