Editing Pomacentridae (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
{{Multi image
| image1            = Parma polylepis algal farm, Slaughter Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 287716819.jpg
| image2            = Parma polylepis algal farm, Slaughter Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 287716816.jpg
| footer            = Algal patch cultivated by ''[[Parma polylepis]]''
| total_width       = 260
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Pomacentrids are found primarily in tropical seas, with a few species occurring in subtropical waters (e.g., [[Garibaldi (fish)|''Hypsypops rubicundus'']]). Most species are found on or near [[coral reef]]s in the Indo-West Pacific (from East Africa to Polynesia). The area from the Philippines to Australia hosts the greatest concentration of species.<ref name=FotW>{{cite book | last=Nelson |first=J.S. | year=2006 | title=Fishes of the World | publisher=[[John Wiley and Sons]] | location=Hoboken | isbn=978-0-471-25031-9}}</ref> The remaining species are found in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} Some species are native to freshwater or brackish [[estuary|estuarine]] environments.<ref name=Jenkins_Allen/><ref name=EoF>{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author= Allen, Gerald R.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 205–208|isbn= 978-0-12-547665-2}}</ref>

Most members of the family live in shallow water, from {{convert|2|to|15|m|abbr=on}} in depth, although some species (e.g., ''[[Chromis abyssus]]'') are found below {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Pyle_et_al>{{cite journal | author=Pyle, R.L., J.L. Earle & B.D. Greene | year=2008 | title=Five new species of the damselfish genus ''Chromis'' (Perciformes: Labroidei: Pomacentridae) from deep coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific | journal=Zootaxa | volume=1671 | pages=3–31 | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1671.1.2 | doi-access=free }}</ref>  Most species are specialists, living in specific parts of the reef, such as sandy [[lagoon]]s, steep reef slopes, or areas exposed to strong wave action. In general, the coral is used as shelter, and many species can only survive in its presence.<ref name=EoF/>

=== Algae farming ===
The bottom-dwelling species are territorial, occupying and defending a portion of the reef, often centered on shelter. By keeping away other species of fish, some pomacentrids encourage the growth of thick mats of [[algae]] within their territories, leading to the common name [[dusky farmerfish|farmerfish]].<ref name=EoF/>