''Parma polylepis'', the banded parma, is a species of damselfish from the western-central Pacific Ocean.
Distribution
The Banded parma can be found in marine waters off the coast of southeastern Australia,
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...
,
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
,
New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
, and northern New Zealand.
Description
A large species of damselfish that can reach lengths of 21 cm,
the banded parma can be distinguished by the prominent bony knobs above the eyes. Larger individuals have larger bony knobs.
Gallery
File:Parma polylepis 333634880.jpg, Showing bony knobs above the eyes
File:Parma polylepis, Emily Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 425412239.jpg, With eggs
File:Parma polylepis, Slaughter Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 388475702.jpg, Pair over an egg nest
File:Parma polylepis, Kingston, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 178549430.jpg
File:Parma polylepis algal farm, Slaughter Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 287716819.jpg, Algal patch cultivated by ''P. polylepis''. Territorial damselfish are known to 'farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
' algae.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1820557
polylepis
''Polylepis'' is a genus comprising 28 recognised shrub and tree species, that are endemic to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes, up to above sea level. It is distributed from Venezuela to Patagonia. In Peru, plants in the ...
Fish described in 1862