Clownfish and Damselfish Codexery

Green damselfish

A Hawaiian reef fish known for polygamous breeding and egg-guarding males.

Last updated

Maximum total length for this species reaches 30 cm.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderBlenniiformes
  6. FamilyPomacentridae
  7. GenusAbudefduf
  8. SpeciesAbudefduf abdominalis

Named by (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)

Close relatives

Other species of Abudefduf with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Green damselfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 254879 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2017

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Green damselfish and a personA 0.3 m long green damselfish drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.3 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.3 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Green damselfish

Where the green damselfish has been recorded

Where the green damselfish has been recorded21 mapped locations from 1,918 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,918 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 14 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 1 isolated far-off record not drawn.

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Biology and range

Juveniles may sometimes be found in surge pools.[2] Inshore and offshore reefs with rocky bottoms and quiet waters at depths between 1 and 50 m are the typical habitat for adult individuals.[2] Algae and zooplankton make up the diet of this species.[2] Food availability influences the timing of breeding cycles.[3]

Hybridization occurs between Abudefduf abdominalis and the introduced species Abudefduf vaigiensis in Hawaiian coastal waters.[3] Spawning can happen throughout the year, but peak activity occurs from mid-December through July.[3]

What the specialist sources record

The "Underwater guide to Hawaiian reef fishes" notes these fish nibble on zooplankton, usually copepods, and occasionally eat algae.[4][5] The same source reports the rear fin has a black marking, and during breeding males turn blue with black bars fading to gray.[6][7] That appendix also notes Hawaiian sergeant eggs provide a significant food source for other fish.[8] The appendix lists milletseed butterflyfish, raccoon butterflyfish, and black triggerfish as predators of this species.[8]

The appendix notes that humans and the green sea turtle consume this species.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Green damselfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gosline, "Handbook of Hawaiian Fishes", University of Hawaii Press, 1965, p. 209–210; Jenkins, A., "Abudefduf abdominalis", 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Green damselfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Jenkins, A., "Abudefduf abdominalis", 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Green damselfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tyler III, William A., "Potential influence of food abundance on spawning patterns in a damselfish, Abudefduf abdominalis", Bulletin of Marine Science, November 1995, p. 610-623; Karen P. Maruska, "Interspecific Spawning between a Recent Immigrant and an Endemic Damselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae) in the Hawaiian Islands", Pacific Science, 1 April 2007, p. 211–221; "Underwater guide to Hawaiian reef fishes", Treasures of Nature, 1981 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Open Library record, ISBN 9780915180073 ("Guide to Hawaiian reef fishes"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Green damselfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Underwater guide to Hawaiian reef fishes", Treasures of Nature, 1981; Mahaney, "Hawaiian Reef Fish", Island Heritage, 1998, p. 35 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Open Library record, ISBN 0896101088 ("Hawaiian Reef Fish"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Green damselfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mahaney, "Hawaiian Reef Fish", Island Heritage, 1998, p. 35; "Underwater guide to Hawaiian reef fishes", Treasures of Nature, 1981 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Appendix 21-A", HAZARD EVALUATION & EMERGENCY RESPONSE (HEER) OFFICE. facts only, no text reused. health.hawaii.gov

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Green damselfish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Pomacentridae)

Amphiprion akallopisos Amphiprion akallopisosAmphiprion akindynos Amphiprion akindynosAmphiprion barberi Amphiprion barberiAmphiprion chagosensis Amphiprion chagosensisAmphiprion chrysogaster Amphiprion chrysogaster

Named in this entry

PomacentridaeHawaii

More in Clownfish and Damselfish

Canary damselAbudefduf vaigiensisAbudefduf notatusAbudefduf saxatilisAbudefduf sexfasciatusAbudefduf septemfasciatusAbudefduf sordidusAbudefduf troscheliiAmblyglyphidodon flavilatusChrysiptera hemicyaneaChrysiptera parasemaChrysiptera rex

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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