Pomacentrus amboinensis

Pomacentrus amboinensis is a damselfish from the Western Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 9 cm in length.

Pomacentrus amboinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Pomacentrus
Species:
P. amboinensis
Binomial name
Pomacentrus amboinensis
Bleeker, 1868
Synonyms

Pomacentrus dimidiatus Bleeker, 1877

Juvenile Pomacentrus amboinensis, showing eyespot on dorsal fin

They live in small groups of one mature male that guards a nest site on the seafloor and several females.[1] Once settled, females rarely migrate. New juveniles can usually join groups easily.[2] As they reach sexual maturity, they usually lose their "eyespot" on their dorsal fin. P. amboinensis is a protogynous species - all individuals start out as females and later can turn into males. However some males retain the appearance of juveniles, probably to sneak into the harems of dominant males.[2]

This species has been shown to have colour vision using behavioral experiments that control for brightness, apparently being the first known example of colour discrimination in reef fish.[3]

References
  1. Maddams, J. C.; McCormick, M. I. (2012). Browman, Howard (ed.). "Not All Offspring Are Created Equal: Variation in Larval Characteristics in a Serially Spawning Damselfish". PLoS ONE. 7 (11): e48525. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048525. PMC 3498294. PMID 23155389.
  2. Gagliano, M.; Depczynski, M. (2013). Gerardo, Nicole M (ed.). "Spot the Difference: Mimicry in a Coral Reef Fish". PLoS ONE. 8 (2): e55938. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055938. PMC 3572176. PMID 23418480.
  3. Siebeck, U. E., Wallis, G. M., & Litherland, L. (2008). Colour vision in coral reef fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211(3), 354-360. doi: 10.1242/jeb.012880


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