''Chromis cyanea'' (blue chromis) is a

damselfish Damselfish are those within the subfamilies Abudefdufinae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, Pomacentrinae, and Stegastenae within the family Pomacentridae. Most species within this group are relatively small, with the largest species being about 30 ...

in the subfamily ''Pomacentrinae'', found in

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

, southern Florida and the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. It is collected for the aquarium trade.

Habitat and ecology

Being a shallow water fish, the blue chromis is commonly found at depths of 3 to 5 m, but it can reach depths of 25 m below

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. It's also been recorded at a depth of 60 m below sea level. It lives on the surface of reefs, but often swims in the water columns above the reefs to feed on

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 cr ...

Behaviour

It's a rather solitary species, seen alone or in small groups, and tends to stay close to the reefs. The younger fish stay near the bottom in order to avoid predators. The males maintain a solitary breeding territory. After breeding with multiple females, they guard the eggs until the planktonic larvae hatch.

Use and trade

The blue chromis is largely collected for use in aquariums. There are no reliable numbers on the extent of this collecting, but damselfish make up the most intensely collected fish group, making up almost half of the aquarium trade.

Threats

Besides the intense aquarium trade, the rapid expansion of

lionfish ''Pterois'' is a genus of venomous marine fish, commonly known as lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. Also called firefish, turkeyfish, tastyfish, or butterfly-cod, it is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red, white, crea ...

in the Caribbean and the Atlantic coast, is the greatest threat to the blue chromis, as well as several other tropical fish native to the Caribbean. Furthermore, the loss of live corals could have a definite impact on the species, though this has yet to be investigated more closely.

Status

The blue chromis is assessed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN. Despite appearing only within an area of 2,500,000 km², it is considered abundant within that area, without any known continuous decline in range or population numbers. It's collected for the aquarium trade, but not in great numbers. Despite this, a deeper study is required, to measure the impact of the decline in habitat quality in the Caribbean has on the species.

References

External links

* * Video o
Blue Chromis
- Video taken in Belize off Ambergris Caye. cyanea Fish described in 1860 Fish of the Atlantic Ocean {{Pomacentridae-stub