Stegastes partitus
Bicolor Damselfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)
Stegastes
Stegastes partitus (Bicolor Damselfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Serrated preopercular margin, relatively long anal fin, bicolored body, lachrymal bone not notched, incisor-like jaw teeth, entire suborbital shelf, coarsely serrated preopercular margin, 2 spines on upper margin of operculum, gill rakers on first arch short and moderately slender (17-20), head length 27%-33% SL, snout length 6%-8% SL, eye diameter 8%-9% SL, upper jaw length 6%-8% SL, pectoral fin length 26%-30% SL, body depth 44%-47% SL, pectoral fin rays 18-20, dorsal fin spines 12 and rays 14-17, anal fin rays 13-15, caudal fin deeply forked, lateral line scales 18-21, scales on dorsal and anal fins except posterior tips, cheek scales in three rows, opercular scales in three columns
Dark brown on head and anterior two-fifths of body, orange shading to white on remainder of body, with diagonal demarcation; deepwater specimens black anteriorly and gray posteriorly with less sharp diagonal demarcation; in preservative, dark brown anteriorly and tan posteriorly
Distribution
Western Atlantic from North Carolina and Bermuda to Venezuela, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Habitat Associations
Shallow coral reefs and patch reefs in deeper water, to a depth of 45 m
Coral reefs and patch reefs
Biology
Benthic algae and several species of pelagic copepods
70 mm SL
Adults inhabit shallow coral reefs and isolated patch reefs in deeper water. Feed primarily on algae but also on polychaetes, hydroids, copepods and ascidians (Ref. 9626). Aggressively territorial but only around a small area (Ref. 9710). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205). Taken incidentally in traps and small-meshed beach nets (Ref. 5217).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205). This species has a juvenile bisexual condition and a typical gonochore testis (Ref. 103751).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-11-15. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968 (as Eupomacentrus partitus)
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Emery 1973 (as E. partitus)
Bright and Cashman 1974 (as E. partitus)
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998 (as Pomacentrus partitus)
Robins and Ray 1986 (as P. partitus)
Allen 1991
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997 (as P. partitus)
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Carter 2002
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Allen, G.R. (1991) Damselfishes of the world. Mergus Publishers, Melle, Germany. 271 p.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
Hixon, M. (1993) Predation, prey refuges, and the structure of coral-reef fish assemblages. Ecol. Monogr. 63(1):77-101.
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