Dascyllus aruanus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)
Dascyllus
Dascyllus aruanus
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep. Color in life white with 3 black bars; a large brown spot on dorsal part of snout and interorbital; lips dusky or white; caudal fin pale; pelvic fins black; pectorals transparent. Margins of preorbital, suborbital, and preoperculum finely serrated (Ref. 2746). Body depth 1.5-1.7 in SL (Ref. 90102). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Pacific Ocean: region north and east of Lombok Strait to Line, Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia.
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 0-20 m. Found in: coral reefs, seagrass beds.
Biology
Territorial, inhabit shallow lagoon and subtidal reef flats. Form large aggregations above staghorn Acropora thickets or in smaller groups above isolated coral heads. Feed on zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and algae. Males invite females to spawn in their nests; protecting the eggs until they hatch and becoming very aggressive against other fish. Eggs hatch after 3-5 days; pelagic larvae feed on plankton (Ref. 5503). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Used in behavioral study. Have been reared in captivity (Ref. 35412). Diurnal species (Ref. 54980, 120737).
Max length: 10.0 cm TL; common length: 6.0 cm TL; max age: 6 years.
Reproductive mode: protogyny; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Male selects and protects the nest; does the courtship `dance' about 1 m above the nest and escorts the attracted female to the nest site where spawning ensues (Ref. 33146). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Also Ref. 103751.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2021-09-23. Resilience: Medium (tmax=6; Fec=1,500-2,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Randall, H.A. and G.R. Allen (1977) A revision of the damselfish genus Dascyllus (Pomacentridae) with description of a new species. Rec. Aust. Mus. 31(9):349-385.
Allen, G.R. (1986) Pomacentridae. p. 670-682. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose (1984) Food habits of teleostean reef fishes in Okinawa Island, southern Japan. University of Tokyo Bulletin, no. 25. v,128p. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, Japan. 128 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Godwin, J. (1995) Phylogenetic and habitat influences on mating system structure in the humbug damselfishes (Dascyllus, Pomacentridae). Bull. Mar. Sci. 57(3):637-652.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
Borsa, P., A. Sembiring, C. Fauvelot and W.-J. Chen (2014) Resurrection of Indian Ocean humbug damselfish, Dascyllus abudafur (Forsskål) from synonymy with its Pacific Ocean sibling, Dascyllus aruanus (L.). Comptes Rendus Biologies, Elsevier Masson, 337(709-716).
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