Pomacentrus amboinensis

Pomacentrus amboinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Family:	Pomacentridae
Genus:	Pomacentrus
Species:	P. amboinensis
Binomial name
	Pomacentrus amboinensis; Bleeker, 1868
Synonyms
	Pomacentrus dimidiatus Bleeker, 1877

Juvenile Pomacentrus amboinensis, showing eyespot on dorsal fin

Pomacentrus amboinensis is a damselfish from the Western Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 9 cm in length.

They live in small groups of one mature male that guards a nest site on the seafloor and several females.^[1] Once settled, females rarely migrate. New juveniles can usually join groups easily.^[2] As they reach sexual maturity, they usually lose their "eyespot" on their dorsal fin. P. amboinensis is a protogynous species - all individuals start out as females and later can turn into males. However some males retain the appearance of juveniles, probably to sneak into the harems of dominant males.^[2]

This species has been shown to have colour vision using behavioral experiments that control for brightness, apparently being the first known example of colour discrimination in reef fish.^[3]

References[]

Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2008). "Pomacentrus amboinensis" in FishBase. December 2008 version.

^ Maddams, J. C.; McCormick, M. I. (2012). Browman, Howard (ed.). "Not All Offspring Are Created Equal: Variation in Larval Characteristics in a Serially Spawning Damselfish". PLOS ONE. 7 (11): e48525. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...748525M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048525. PMC 3498294. PMID 23155389.
^ ^a ^b Gagliano, M.; Depczynski, M. (2013). Gerardo, Nicole M (ed.). "Spot the Difference: Mimicry in a Coral Reef Fish". PLOS ONE. 8 (2): e55938. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...855938G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055938. PMC 3572176. PMID 23418480.
^ Siebeck, U. E., Wallis, G. M., & Litherland, L. (2008). Colour vision in coral reef fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211(3), 354-360. doi: 10.1242/jeb.012880

External links[]

Photos of Pomacentrus amboinensis on Sealife Collection

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[Maddams2012-1] Maddams, J. C.; McCormick, M. I. (2012). Browman, Howard (ed.). "Not All Offspring Are Created Equal: Variation in Larval Characteristics in a Serially Spawning Damselfish". PLOS ONE. 7 (11): e48525. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...748525M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048525. PMC 3498294. PMID 23155389.

[Gagliano2013-2] Gagliano, M.; Depczynski, M. (2013). Gerardo, Nicole M (ed.). "Spot the Difference: Mimicry in a Coral Reef Fish". PLOS ONE. 8 (2): e55938. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...855938G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055938. PMC 3572176. PMID 23418480.

[3] Siebeck, U. E., Wallis, G. M., & Litherland, L. (2008). Colour vision in coral reef fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211(3), 354-360. doi: 10.1242/jeb.012880

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