Rhomboid Chromis (Chromis bowesi)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Ovalentaria incertae sedis · Family: Pomacentridae · Genus: Chromis.

Accepted name: Chromis bowesi · Authority: Arango, Pinheiro, Rocha, Greene, Pyle, Copus, Shepherd & Rocha, 2019 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1340190.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1340190 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Chromis bowesi. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 8.210000038146973 cm · Depth range: 80–120 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 69007) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Chromis-bowesi.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Chromis bowesi Arango, Pinheiro, Rocha, Greene, Pyle, Copus, Shepherd & Rocha, 2019 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 241132767) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/241132767/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 9826648) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/9826648/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The specific name bowesi was chosen in honor of the late William K. Bowes Jr. (1926 - 2016), who was the main sponsor of the Hope for Reefs initiative, from California Academy of Sciences.

The largest specimen used to describe C. bowesi is about 8.2 cm. In its natural habitat, C. bowesi has a bluish purple body with light blue stripes just behind the pectoral fins. Spines on dorsal and pelvic fins are light blue to almost white, with the soft dorsal fin transparent. The upper body is darker than the sides of the body and under the abdomen.

The under-eye area is silvery white. Dark spots on the base of pectoral fins. Photographs of newly dead specimens are dark gray brown in the upper body, turning gray in the remaining body area.

The species is characterized by 11-12 dorsal fin rays, 11-13 anal fin rays, 17-19 pectoral fin rays, 3 caudal fin rays that are procurrent, 13-15 lateral line scales that are tubed, 25-27 gill rakers, and a body depth of 1.5-1.6 in standard length as differed from other congeners. The adult fish's color when fresh is brownish-grey in the dorsal side to whitish on the ventral side, with alternating dark and light stripes in the sides of body.

C. bowesi was particularly found in Verde Island Passage at Verde Island, in Batangas Bay and in Puerto Galera Bay. All three species, C. bowesi, C. gunting and C. hangganan comes from Philippines, and collected at a depth of about 75 – 150 m., with C. bowesi at 80 – 120 m.

Source: Wikipedia: Chromis bowesi — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromis_bowesi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.