Pomacentridae

Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the order Perciformes but are now regarded as being incertae sedis in the subseries Ovalentaria in the clade Percomorpha.
They are primarily marine, while a few species inhabit freshwater and brackish environments (e.g., Neopomacentrus aquadulcis, N. taeniurus, Pomacentrus taeniometopon, Stegastes otophorus). They are noted for their hardy constitutions and territoriality. Many are brightly colored, so they are popular in aquaria.
Around 385 species are classified in this family, in about 31 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. The members of this family are classified in four subfamilies: Amphiprioninae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, and Pomacentrinae.
Etymology
The name of the family is derived from the Greek words; poma roughly translates to the English "cover", referring to the fishes' opercula, and kentron is Greek for sting. The name refers to the serrations found along the margins of the opercular bones in many members of this family.
Distribution and habitat
Pomacentrids are found primarily in tropical seas, with a few species occurring in subtropical waters (e.g., Hypsypops rubicundus). Most species are found on or near coral reefs in the Indo-West Pacific (from East Africa to Polynesia). The area from the Philippines to Australia hosts the greatest concentration of species. The remaining species are found in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific. Some species are native to freshwater or brackish estuarine environments.
Most members of the family live in shallow water, from in depth, although some species (e.g., Chromis abyssus) are found below . Most species are specialists, living in specific parts of the reef, such as sandy lagoons, 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.
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 farmerfish.
Characteristics
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). 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 crustaceans, depending on their precise habitats. Only a small number of genera, such as Cheiloprion, eat the coral where they live.
They also engage in symbiotic relationship with cleaner gobies of genus Elacatinus, allowing the gobies to feed on ectoparasites on their bodies.
Lifecycle
Before breeding, the males clear an area of algae and invertebrates to create a nest. They engage in ritualised courtship displays, 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 externally. Varying by species, brood sizes range from 50 to 1000 eggs.
The male guards the nest for the two to seven days needed for the eggs to hatch. The transparent larvae are long. They go through a pelagic stage, which depending on the species, can last as little as a week or more than a month. When they arrive at a suitable environment, the young settle and adopt their juvenile colors.
In captivity, pomacentrids live up to 18 years, but they probably do not live longer than 10 to 12 years in the wild.
Genera
The 5th edition of Fishes of the World recognises 31 genera in three subfamilies in the family Pomacentridae:
† means extinct
Subfamily Chrominae Allen, 1975
Acanthochromis Gill, 1863:
Altrichthys Allen, 1999
Azurina D.S. Jordan & McGregor, 1898
Chromis Cuvier, 1814
Dascyllus Cuvier, 1829
Subfamily Lepidozyginae Allen, 1975
Lepidozygus Günther, 1862
Subfamily Pomacentrinae Bonaparte, 1831
Abudefduf Fabricius, 1775
Amblyglyphidodon Bleeker, 1877
Amblypomacentrus Bleeker, 1877
Amphiprion Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Cheiloprion M.C.W. Weber, 1913
Chrysiptera Swainson, 1839
Dischistodus Gill, 1863
Hemiglyphidodon Bleeker, 1877
Hypsypops Gill, 1861
Mecaenichthys Whitley , 1929
Microspathodon Günther, 1862
Neoglyphidodon Allen, 1991
Neopomacentrus Allen, 1975
Nexilosus Heller & Snodgrass, 1903
Parma Günther, 1862
Plectroglyphidodon Fowler & Ball, 1824
Pomacentrus Lacépède, 1802
Pomachromis Allen & Randall, 1974
Premnas Cuvier, 1816
Pristotis Rüppell, 1838
Similiparma Hemsley, 1986
Stegastes Jenyns, 1840
Teixeirichthys J. L. B. Smith, 1953
†Palaeopomacentrus Bellwood & Sorbini, 1996
Other authoritiies recognise 4 subfamilies and classify the family as follows:
Subfamily Chrominae
Azurina
Chromis
Dascyllus
Pycnochromis Fowler, 1941
Subfamily Glyphisodontinae
Abudefduf
Subfamily Microspathodontinae
Hypsypops
Lepidozygus
Mecaenichthys
Microspathodon
Nexilosus
Parma (fish)|Parma
Plectroglyphidodon
Similiparma
Stegastes
Subfamily Pomacentrindeae
Acanthochromis
Altrichthys
Amblyglyphidodon
Amblypomacentrus
Clownfish|Amphiprion
Cheiloprion
Chrysiptera
Dischistodus
Hemiglyphidodon
Neoglyphidodon
Neopomacentrus
Pomacentrus
Pomachromis
Premnas
Pristotis
Teixeirichthys
†Palaeopomacentrus
Timeline
References
External links
Smith, J.L.B. 1960. 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.
Species inventory of Pomacentridae from New Caledonia.
Labroidei
Ovalentaria
Ray-finned fish families
Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte