Small, abundant and the most territorial fish on the reef. A damselfish farms a patch of algae, weeds out what it does not want growing there, and drives off anything that comes near, including a diver.
The farming is real gardening. The fish removes unwanted algae species, chases off grazers, and the patch it defends is visibly different from the rock around it. Some species will bite a hand or nip at a mask; none of it does any harm and all of it is territory rather than aggression.
The chromis and the pullers are the exception: they feed on plankton in loose clouds above the reef and hold no territory at all except at a nest. Males clear a patch of rock, turn dark, and guard the eggs for a few days.
Juveniles are frequently brighter than adults and are photographed more than them. Several are electric blue as juveniles and dull brown within a year.
Every one has a page. They are shown as a list rather than as pictures because nothing has been photographed or logged for them yet, and a species with nothing behind it should not sit in front of one that has.
How many of the 32 carry a record at each destination. A species usually carries several, so these do not add up to 32.
All 1316 species in one index, with filters for destination, rarity and hazard.
