Editing Pomacentridae

{{Short description|Family of ray-finned fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Clownfish and damselfish
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Early Paleocene|present}}
| image = Pomacentrus pavo, Emily Bay, Kingston 2899, Norfolk Island imported from iNaturalist photo 463213017 (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = [[Pomacentrus pavo|Peacock damselfish]] (''Pomacentrus pavo'')
| taxon = Pomacentridae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1832<ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp | year = 2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268078514 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue = 2 | pages = 001–230 | doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = See text
| type_species = ''[[Pomacentrus pavo]]''
| type_species_authority = Bloch, 1787
}}

'''Pomacentridae''' is a [[family (biology)|family]] of [[ray-finned fish]], comprising the [[damselfish]]es and [[clownfish]]es. This family were formerly placed in the order [[Perciformes]] or as indeterminate [[Percomorpha|percomorphs]], but are now considered basal [[Blenniiformes|blenniiforms]].<ref name="Nelson5">{{cite book  |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=752 |publisher=Wiley |isbn= 978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ }}</ref><ref name=":132">{{Cite web |last=Fricke |first=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}}</ref>
They are primarily [[ocean|marine]], while a few species inhabit [[fresh water|freshwater]] and [[brackish]] environments (e.g., ''[[Neopomacentrus aquadulcis]]'', ''[[Neopomacentrus taeniurus|N. taeniurus]]'', ''[[Pomacentrus taeniometopon]]'', ''[[Stegastes otophorus]]'').<ref name="Jenkins_Allen">{{cite journal |author1=Jenkins, A.P.  |author2=G.R. Allen  |name-list-style=amp | year=2002 | title=''Neopomacentrus aquadulcis'', a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) from eastern Papua New Guinea | journal=Records of the Western Australian Museum | volume=20 | pages=379–382}}</ref> They are noted for their hardy constitutions and [[territoriality]].  Many are brightly colored, so they are popular in [[aquarium|aquaria]].

== Taxonomy ==
Around 385 [[species]] are classified in this family, in about 31 [[genus|genera]]. Of these, members of two genera, ''Amphiprion'' and  ''Premnas'', are commonly called [[clownfish]] or anemonefish, while members of other genera (e.g., ''[[Pomacentrus]]'') are commonly called damselfish.<ref name="FishBase">{{FishBase family | family = Pomacentridae | year = 2007 | month = July}}</ref>

The members of this family were traditionally classified in four subfamilies: [[Clownfish|Amphiprioninae]], [[Chrominae]], [[Lepidozyginae]], and [[Pomacentrinae]].,<ref name="Allen1975">{{cite book | author=Allen, G.R. | year=1975 | title=Damselfishes of the South Seas | publisher=T.F.H. Publications | location=Neptune City, NJ | isbn=978-0-87666-034-8}}</ref> although more recent phylogenetic analyses instead support the four subfamilies Chrominae, [[Glyphisodontinae]], [[Microspathodontinae]], and Pomacentrinae, with the clownfishes nested within the latter subfamily.<ref name="CofF" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=FAMILY Details for Pomacentridae - Damselfishes |url=https://fishbase.se/summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=350 |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=fishbase.se |language=en}}</ref>

The earliest known fossil damselfish is †''[[Chaychanus]]'' from the [[Danian|Early Paleocene]] of [[Chiapas]], [[Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cantalice |first1=Kleyton Magno |last2=Alvarado-Ortega |first2=Jesús |last3=Bellwood |first3=David Roy |date=2020-03-01 |title=†Chaychanus gonzalezorum gen. et sp. nov.: A damselfish fossil (Percomorphaceae; Pomacentridae), from the Early Paleocene outcrop of Chiapas, Southeastern Mexico |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981119303001 |journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences |volume=98 |pages=102322 |doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2019.102322 |bibcode=2020JSAES..9802322C |issn=0895-9811}}</ref>

=== Etymology ===
The name of the family is derived from the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] words; ''poma'' roughly translates to the English "cover", referring to the fishes' [[Operculum (Fish)|opercula]], and ''kentron'' is Greek for [[Sting (biology)|sting]]. The name refers to the serrations found along the margins of the opercular bones in many members of this family.<ref name="FishBase"/>

==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
}}
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/>

==Characteristics==
[[File:Indo Pacific Sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis in Sea of Dibba Fujairah UAE by Prof Dr Norman Ali Khalaf 2015.jpg|thumb|Indo-Pacific sergeant or damselfish in Sea of [[Dibba]], [[Fujairah]], [[UAE]]]]
[[File:Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish) by Nick Hobgood.jpg|thumb|Clownfish with anemone]]
Most pomacentrids are relatively small. The tribe Microspathodontini includes the largest species and are collectively known as giant damselfishes, with the four largest species (''[[Garibaldi (fish)|Hypsypops rubicundus]]'', ''[[Microspathodon bairdii]]'', ''[[Giant damselfish|M. dorsalis]]'' and ''[[Coquito sergeant|Nexilosus latifrons]]'') reaching 30&nbsp;cm (12&nbsp;in) in length.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hensley |first=Dannie A. |last2=Allen |first2=Gerald R. |date=1996-02-02 |title=Damselfishes of the World |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1446968?origin=crossref |journal=Copeia |volume=1996 |issue=1 |pages=229 |doi=10.2307/1446968}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781482212105 |title=Biology of Damselfishes |date=2016-08-19 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4822-1210-5 |editor-last=Frédérich |editor-first=Bruno |edition=0 |language=en |doi=10.1201/9781315373874 |editor-last2=Parmentier |editor-first2=Eric}}</ref>

Pomacentrids have an orbiculate to elongated body shape, which is often laterally compressed.  They have interrupted or incomplete lateral lines and they usually have a single nostril on each side (some species of ''[[Chromis]]'' and ''[[Dascyllus]]'' have two on each side).<ref name="FotW" /> They have small- to medium-sized [[ctenoid]] scales. They have one or two rows of teeth, which may be conical or spatulate.

They display a wide range of colors, predominantly bright shades of yellow, red, orange, and blue, although some are a relatively drab brown, black, or grey. The young are often a different, brighter color than adults.

Pomacentrids are [[omnivorous]] or [[herbivorous]], feeding on algae, [[plankton]], and small bottom-dwelling [[crustacean]]s, depending on their precise habitats. Only a small number of genera, such as ''[[Cheiloprion]]'', eat the [[coral]] where they live.<ref name=EoF/>

They also engage in symbiotic relationship with cleaner gobies of genus ''[[Elacatinus]]'', allowing the gobies to feed on [[ectoparasites]] on their bodies.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Ivan Sazima |author2=Cristina Sazima |author3=Ronaldo B. Francini-Filho |author4=Rodrigo L. Moura |date=September 2000| title = Daily cleaning activity and diversity of clients of the barber goby, Elacatinus figaro, on rocky reefs in southeastern Brazil| journal = Environmental Biology of Fishes | volume =59 | issue =1| pages =69–77 | doi=10.1023/a:1007655819374|bibcode=2000EnvBF..59...69S |s2cid=24134075 }}</ref> Clownfish also have mutualistic relationships with anemones.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amphiprion - Encyclopedia of Life |url=https://www.eol.org/pages/46572499 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=www.eol.org}}</ref> The anemone protects the clownfish while the clownfish rids parasites.

==Lifecycle==
Before breeding, the males clear an area of algae and invertebrates to create a nest. They engage in ritualised [[courtship display]]s, which may consist of rapid bursts of motion, chasing or nipping females, stationary hovering, or wide extension of their fins. After being attracted to the site, the female lays a string of sticky eggs that attach to the substrate. The male swims behind the female as she lays the eggs, and fertilises them [[external fertilisation|externally]]. Varying by species, brood sizes range from 50 to 1000 eggs.<ref name=EoF/>

The male guards the nest for the two to seven days needed for the eggs to hatch. The transparent [[larvae]] are {{convert|2|to|4|mm|abbr=on}} long.  They go through a [[Marine larval ecology|pelagic]] stage, which depending on the species, can last as little as a week or more than a month.<ref name=Thresher_et_al>{{cite journal | last1=Thresher |first1=R.E. |first2=P.L. |last2=Colin |first3=L.J. |last3=Bell | year=1989 | title=Planktonic duration, distribution and population structure of western and central Pacific damselfishes (Pomacentridae) | journal=Copeia | volume=1989 | issue=2 | pages=420–434 | jstor=1445439 | doi=10.2307/1445439}}</ref> When they arrive at a suitable environment, the young settle and adopt their juvenile colors.<ref name=EoF/>

In captivity, pomacentrids live up to 18 years, but they probably do not live longer than 10 to 12 years in the wild.<ref name=EoF/>

==Genera==
The 5th edition of Fishes of the World recognises 31 genera in three subfamilies in the family Pomacentridae:<ref name = Nelson5/><ref name = CofF/><ref name = VDLEF/>

† means extinct
{{div col|colwidth=22em}} 
* Subfamily [[Chrominae]]  <small>[[Gerald R. Allen|Allen]], 1975</small>
** ''[[Acanthochromis]]'' <small>[[Theodore Gill|Gill]], 1863:</small>
** ''[[Altrichthys]]'' <small>Allen, 1999</small>
** ''[[Azurina]]'' <small>[[David Starr Jordan|D.S. Jordan]] & [[Ernest Alexander McGregor|McGregor]], 1898</small>
** ''[[Chromis]]'' <small>[[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1814</small>
** ''[[Dascyllus]]'' <small>Cuvier, 1829</small>
* Subfamily Lepidozyginae <small>Allen, 1975</small>
** ''[[Lepidozygus]]'' <small>[[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1862</small>
* Subfamily [[Pomacentrinae]] <small>[[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1831</small>
** ''[[Abudefduf]]'' <small>[[Johan Christian Fabricius|Fabricius]], 1775</small>
** ''[[Amblyglyphidodon]]'' <small>[[Pieter Bleeker|Bleeker]], 1877</small>
** ''[[Amblypomacentrus]]'' <small>Bleeker, 1877</small>
** ''[[Clownfish|Amphiprion]]'' <small>[[Marcus Elieser Bloch|Bloch]] & [[Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider|Schneider]], 1801</small>
** ''[[Cheiloprion]]'' <small>[[Max Carl Wilhelm Weber|M.C.W. Weber]], 1913</small>
** ''[[Chrysiptera]]'' <small>[[William Swainson|Swainson]], 1839</small>
** ''[[Dischistodus]]'' <small>Gill, 1863</small>
** ''[[Hemiglyphidodon]]'' <small>Bleeker, 1877</small>
** ''[[Hypsypops]]'' <small>Gill, 1861</small>
** ''[[Mecaenichthys]]'' <small>[[Gilbert Percy Whitley|Whitley]], 1929</small>
** ''[[Microspathodon]]'' <small>Günther, 1862</small>
** ''[[Neoglyphidodon]]'' <small>Allen, 1991</small>
** ''[[Neopomacentrus]]'' <small>Allen, 1975</small>
** ''[[Nexilosus]]'' <small>[[Edmund Heller|Heller]] & [[Robert Evans Snodgrass|Snodgrass]], 1903</small>
** ''[[Parma (fish)|Parma]]'' <small>Günther, 1862</small>
** ''[[Plectroglyphidodon]]'' <small>Fowler & [[Stanley C. Ball|Ball]], 1824</small>
** ''[[Pomacentrus]]'' <small>[[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1802</small>
** ''[[Pomachromis]]'' <small>Allen & [[John Ernest Randall|Randall]], 1974</small>
** ''[[Premnas]]'' <small>Cuvier, 1816</small>
** ''[[Pristotis]]'' <small>[[Eduard Rüppell|Rüppell]], 1838</small>
** ''[[Similiparma]]'' <small>[[Dannie A. Hensley|Hemsley]], 1986</small>
** ''[[Stegastes]]'' <small>[[Leonard Jenyns|Jenyns]], 1840</small>
** ''[[Teixeirichthys]]'' <small>[[J. L. B. Smith]], 1953</small>
* {{extinct}}''[[Palaeopomacentrus]]'' <small>[[David Bellwood|Bellwood]] & [[Lorenzo Sorbini|Sorbini]], 1996</small> <ref name = B&S1996>{{cite journal | author1 = D. R. Bellwood | author2 = L. Sorbini | name-list-style = and | year = 1996 | title = A review of the fossil record of the Pomacentridae (Teleostei: Labroidei) with a description of a new genus and species from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy | journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 117 | issue = 2 | pages = 159–174| doi = 10.1111/j.1096-3642.1996.tb02154.x | s2cid = 84430386 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
{{div col end}}

Other authorities recognise 4 subfamilies and classify the family as follows:<ref name = CofF>{{Cof family | family = Pomacentridae | access-date = 2 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tang |first=Kevin L. |last2=Stiassny |first2=Melanie L. J. |last3=Mayden |first3=Richard L. |last4=DeSalle |first4=Robert |date=2021-05-05 |title=Systematics of Damselfishes |url=https://bioone.org/journals/ichthyology-and-herpetology/volume-109/issue-1/i2020105/Systematics-of-Damselfishes/10.1643/i2020105.full |journal=Ichthyology & Herpetology |volume=109 |issue=1 |doi=10.1643/i2020105 |issn=2766-1512|doi-access=free }}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=22em}} 
* Subfamily Chrominae
** ''Azurina''
** ''Chromis''
** ''Dascyllus'' 
** ''[[Pycnochromis]]'' <small>Fowler, 1941</small>
* Subfamily Glyphisodontinae
** ''Abudefduf'' 
* Subfamily Microspathodontinae
** ''Lepidozygus''
** ''Mecaenichthys''
** ''Parma''
** ''Plectroglyphidodon''
** ''Stegastes''
**Tribe Microspathodontini
*** ''Hypsypops'' 
*** ''Microspathodon''
*** ''Nexilosus''
*** ''Similiparma''
* Subfamily Pomacentrinae
** Tribe Amphiprionini
*** ''[[Clownfish|Amphiprion]]'' 
*** ''Premnas'' 
** Tribe Cheiloprionini
*** ''Cheiloprion''
*** ''Chrysiptera''
*** ''Dischistodus''
*** ''Pomachromis''
** Tribe Hemiglyphidodontini
*** ''Acanthochromis''
*** ''Altrichthys''
*** ''Amblyglyphidodon''
*** ''Hemiglyphidodon''
*** ''Neoglyphidodon''
** Tribe Pomacentrini
*** ''Amblypomacentrus''
*** ''Neopomacentrus''
*** ''Pomacentrus''
*** ''Pristotis''
*** ''Teixeirichthys''
* †''Palaeopomacentrus''
{{div col end}}

<gallery style="text-align:center;" mode="packed">
Image:Abudefduf sexfasciatus Réunion.jpg|''[[Abudefduf sexfasciatus]]''
Image:Acanthochromis polyacanthus.jpg|''[[Acanthochromis polyacanthus]]''
Image:Amblyglyphidodon curacao.jpg|''[[Amblyglyphidodon curacao]]''

Image:Green.chromis.arp.jpg|''[[Chromis viridis]]''
Image:Crysiptera_hemicyanea.jpg|''[[Chrysiptera hemicyanea]]''
Image:Dascyllus trimaculatus Réunion.jpg|''[[Dascyllus trimaculatus]]''
Image:Hypsypops_rubicundus_adult.jpg|''[[Hypsypops rubicundus]]''
Image:Yellowtail damselfish Microspathodon chrysurus (4657125482).jpg|''[[Microspathodon chrysurus]]''
Image:Neoglyphidodon melas.jpg|''[[Neoglyphidodon melas]]''
Image:Parma_kermadecensis_%28Kermadec_scalyfin%29.jpg|''[[Parma kermadecensis]]''
Image:Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus Réunion.JPG|''[[Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus]]''
Image:Pomacentrus caeruleopunctatus Réunion.jpg|''[[Pomacentrus caeruleus]]''
Image:Maroon Clown Fish444.jpg|''[[Premnas biaculeatus]]''
Image:Stegastes nigricans.JPG|''[[Stegastes nigricans]]''
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pomacentridae}}
{{Wikispecies|Pomacentridae}}
* {{FishBase family | family = Pomacentridae | year = 2007 | month = January}}
* Smith, J.L.B. 1960. [http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018780 Coral fishes of the family Pomacentridae from the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 19.] Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
* [http://www.picture-worl.org/actinopterygien-nouvelle-caledonie-7.html Species inventory of Pomacentridae from New Caledonia.]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q501720}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pomacentridae| ]]
[[Category:Percomorpha families]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]