Clownfish and Damselfish Codexery

Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis

A solitary, territorial damselfish of Indo-Pacific surge zones.

Last updated

As of 2025, the IUCN Red List classifies it as Least Concern.[1] The Perciformes species Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis is a member of the Pomacentridae family and is known as the phoenix damsel.[2] The maximum recorded total length for this fish is 9 cm.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderBlenniiformes
  6. FamilyPomacentridae
  7. GenusPlectroglyphidodon
  8. SpeciesPlectroglyphidodon phoenixensis

Named by (Schultz, 1943)

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 212853 (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
2022

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

How big is it?

Size comparison: Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis and a personA 0.09 m long plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.09 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.09 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

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

Where the plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis has been recorded

Where the plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis has been recorded112 mapped locations from 983 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (983 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 2 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

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

Biology and range

This fish lives in the surge zone of seaward reef margins, between 1 and 8 meters depth.[4] It is typically found in or near Acropora or Pocillopora coral patches.[4] Reproduction is oviparous, with demersal eggs that adhere to the substrate.[3] The male guards and aerates the eggs.[3]

The species appears fairly rare in its native range, and the aquarium trade is the only known threat, though not a significant one.[1] The species lives on or near the sea floor, a habitat described as demersal.[4] Benthic algae make up the diet of these herbivorous fish.[3]

What the specialist sources record

The World Register of Marine Species lists the authority as Schultz, 1943, and places the species in the order Ovalentaria incertae sedis.[5] GBIF records the species under the order Perciformes and family Pomacentridae, with 1,062 occurrence records as of October 2026.[6] Both databases accept the taxonomic name Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis (Schultz, 1943).[5][6]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nicolas Bailly, "Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis", 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. World Register of Marine Species, Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis (AphiaID 212853). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  6. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis (taxon key 2398967). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis (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)

Abudefduf notatus Abudefduf notatusAbudefduf saxatilis Abudefduf saxatilisAbudefduf septemfasciatus Abudefduf septemfasciatusAbudefduf sexfasciatus Abudefduf sexfasciatusAbudefduf sordidus Abudefduf sordidusAbudefduf troschelii Abudefduf troschelii

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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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