page_title: Stegastes leucostictus
section_title: Biology
hierarchical_section_title: Stegastes leucostictus / Biology
caption_attribution_description: Blue-headed wrasse, San Pedro, Belize Barrier Reef
context_page_description: Stegastes leucostictus is a species of damselfish found near the sea bed in shallow waters on the western fringes of the Atlantic Ocean. It is commonly known as the beau gregory or beaugregory.
context_section_description: Stegastes leucostictus feeds mainly on seaweed, but also consumes marine worms, amphipods, foraminiferans and gastropod molluscs. A male damselfish guards a territory, but seldom interacts with its neighbours, although it will attack a male of the same species introduced in a bottle placed in its territory. Dominance is related to the quality of the territory it occupies. The owner of a high-quality territory exhibits dominance and if it is removed and a subservient male moves in, it in turn develops dominance.
  During the breeding season, a male and a female form a pair bond. The eggs are hidden inside an empty shell or under a stone, and the male guards the nest and fans the eggs with its fins to keep them well oxygenated.
  The wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum (bluehead), preys upon the eggs of S. leucostictus. A male damselfish can evaluate the level of the threat posed by one or more wrasse and react appropriately. It either chases the other fish, harries it, or adopts a head-lowered, threatening posture.
caption: The bluehead eats the eggs of S. leucostictus.
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