Scientific Name: Pomacentrus australis
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 8cm
Identification: Bluish gray upper head and back, remainder light gray to white; vertical blue streak on scales of back. Large Adults are blue on upper body and white below.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Coral rock outcroppings in sand or rubble areas in 5-35m.
Location: Great Barrier Reef to Sydney, Australia.
Australian Damsel
Tahiti Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Description: Head and forebody white gradating to dark brown with pale scale centers forming grid pattern, yellow tail; black eye bar.
Favourite: Solitary, in pairs or small groups.
Hide-out: Primarily in sheltered lagoons in 3-25m.
Location: Society, Marquesas and Tuamotu Is. in French Polynesia.
Ambon Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus amboinensis
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Body color variable according to locality but most commonly yellow; pale pink to blue blotches and markings on lower head. Juvenile - Black spot on rear dorsal fin persists on adults in Andaman Sea.
Hide-out: Sandy areas in 2-40m.
Location: East Indo-West Pacific - Andaman Sea to Fiji and Marshall Is. in Micronesia. S.W. Japan to Australia.
Ornate Angelfish
Family: Angelfish - Pomacanthidae
Maximum Size: 18cm
Identification: Male - Light gray; golden orange stripe along base of dorsal fin and another on mid-body, borders of tail blue.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups; feed on plankton above bottom.
Hide-out: Outer reefs, 25-110m; rare above 50m.
Location: Scattered Pacific - Philippines and scattered east Pacific Is. to Mariana and Marshall Is. Also Society Is. in French Polynesia.
Whitetail Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus chrysurus
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 9cm
Identification: Gray-brown with white tail, often lighter gray on upper back and dorsal fin; upper rim of eye orange.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Sandy areas of shoreline reefs and lagoons to 3m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Maldives and Sri Lanka to Australia and New Caledonia, north to S.W. Japan.
Spotted Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Description: Beige with distinctive brown to purplish speckling; broad yellow margin on dorsal fin extends across tail base.
Favourite: Solitary or in pairs.
Hide-out: Coral reefs, lagoons and seaward slopes in 5-30m.
Location: Indian Ocean - E. Africa to Maldives, Andaman Sea and Christmas I.
Charcoal Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus brachialis
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Charcoal-gray to black; large black spot covering base of pectoral fin.
Favourite: Usually feed in groups in mid-water a short distance above reef.
Hide-out: Passages and outer reef slopes in 6-40m.
Location: West Pacific - Indonesia and Philippines to Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea and Fiji, north to S.W. Japan.
Onespot Rabbitfish
Family: Rabbitfishes - Siganidae
Maximum Size: 24cm
Identification: Yellow body with elongate black blotch; white head with black band from protruding snout to dorsal fin, black edge on gill cover.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas, often shelter in staghorn corals, to 30m.
Location: Asian Pacific - S.W. Japan and Philippines to N.W. Australian Shelf.
Thai Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus polyspinus
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Gray with dark scale outlines; blue lines on snout and forehead, ocellated spot on rear dorsal fin and may display small black 'ear' spot.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Shoreline and lagoon reefs in 3-10m.
Location: E. Andaman Sea.
Spot-Banded Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Description: Yellowish tan to yellow; 7 gray bars on upper body and rows of dark spots below, orange eye bar and black spot on nape.
Favourite: Usually in pairs, sometimes with Dot & Dash Butterflyfish.
Hide-out: Lagoons and outer reefs to 45m.
Location: Pacific - Sumatra in Indonesia, Philippines, Micronesia to Line Is. Taiwan to N.W. Australia and Great Barrier Reef.
Whitespot Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus albimaculus
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 9cm
Identification: Gray to brown with dark scale outlines; white saddle on upper tail base.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Rocky outcroppings and debris of sandy inshore areas in 10-20m.
Location: Reliably known only from the Madang region of Papua New Guinea.
Japanese Surgeonfish
Family: Surgeonfishes - Acanthuridae
Maximum Size: 21cm
Identification: Yellowish brown to dark blue becomes yellow on extreme rear body; white patch from lips to eye; white tail.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Clear lagoons and outer reef in 2-12m.
Location: North Asian Pacific - Sulawesi in Indonesia to Philippines and S.W. Japan.
Miller's Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus milleri
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 9cm
Identification: Gray with dark scale outlines; fine blue margins on most fins.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Mainly shoreline reefs with dead coral, rubble or weeds to 6m.
Location: W. and N. Australia from Perth area to Gulf of Carpentaria.
Speckled Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Description: Pale yellow to whitish with manu rows of faint bluish spots; black edge on anal fin.
Favourite: Solitary, in pairs or small groups.
Hide-out: Moderately exposed (to surf) reef flats and seaward reefs usually in 1-3m; rarely to 30m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Indonesia, Philippines and Marquesas Is. in French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to N.W. & E. Australia.
Brackish Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus taeniometopon
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Dark brown to nearly black with yellowish tail; often with neon-blue markings on upper head and rear dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Mangrove areas and lower reaches of freshwater streams to 4m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea, north to Taiwan and S.W. Japan.
Foxface Rabbitfish
Family: Rabbitfishes - Siganidae
Maximum Size: 24cm
Identification: Yellow body; white head with black band from protruding snout to dorsal fin, black breast marking.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas of lagoons and outer reefs, often shelter in staghorn corals, to 30m.
Location: West Pacific - Sumatra in Indonesia to Gilbert Is. Taiwan to Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.
Ward's Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus wardi
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Brown with no distinctive markings. Juvenile - Yellow with blue lines on upper head, large ocellated spot on dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Coastal and offshore reefs to 20m.
Location: Great Barrier Reef and E. Australian coast south to Sydney area.
Saddled Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 23cm
Description: Blue-gray with blue lines on lower body; large white-bordered black patch upper rear body, orange area from snout to ventral fins.
Favourite: Solitary or in pairs.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas in lagoons and seaward reefs to 30m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Sri Lanka to Indonesia, Philippines, Micronesia and French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to N.W. & N.E. Australia.
Yoshii's Damsel
Scientific Name: Pomacentrus yoshii
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 8cm
Identification: Overall yellow, often with dusky brown area covering sides; blue markings on head, large black spot on pectoral fin base.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: in 2-25m.
Location: Southern Marshall Is. in Micronesia.
Orangepeel Angelfish
Family: Angelfish - Pomacanthidae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: Red-orange with narrow dark bars, rear dorsal and anal fins also black.
Hide-out: Exposed outer reefs on mixed live and dead coral bottoms in 10-56m.
Location: Mariana Is. in Micronesia and Bonin Is. north to Japan's Izu National Park.
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