Dascyllus marginatus

Dascyllus marginatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Blenniiformes
Family:	Pomacentridae
Genus:	Dascyllus
Species:	D. marginatus
Binomial name
Dascyllus marginatus (Rüppell, 1829)

Dascyllus marginatus (marginate dascyllus or Red Sea dascyllus) is a damselfish endemic to the Western Indian Ocean.[1] It is a site attached fish that lives in corals, usually Stylophora pistillata and species of Acropora. In these corals it hides at a moment of danger[2] and sleeps at night.[3] It feeds on zooplankton that drifts with the current,[4] and grows to a size of 6 cm in length.[1] Dascyllus marginatus lives in groups of 2-25 individuals,[5] and while foraging for food around their home coral, group members keep separated and stable foraging spaces.[6]

Human Uses

It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.[1]

References

1. "Dascyllus marginatus". FishBase. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
2. Fishelson, L.; Popper, D.; Avidor, A. (1974). "Biosociology and ecology of pomacentrid fishes around the Sinai Peninsula (northern Red Sea)". Journal of Fish Biology. 6 (2): 119–133. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1974.tb04532.x. ISSN 0022-1112.
3. Goldshmid, Rotem; Holzman, Roi; Weihs, Daniel; Genin, Amatzia (2004). "Aeration of corals by sleep‐swimming fish". Limnology and Oceanography. 49 (5): 1832–1839. doi:10.4319/lo.2004.49.5.1832. ISSN 0024-3590.
4. Kent, Rafi; Holzman, Roi; Genin, Amatzia (2006-10-05). "Preliminary evidence on group-size dependent feeding success in the damselfish Dascyllus marginatus". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 323: 299–303. doi:10.3354/meps323299. ISSN 0171-8630.
5. Fricke, Hans W. (1980-05-01). "Control of different mating systems in a coral reef fish by one environmental factor". Animal Behaviour. 28 (2): 561–569. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(80)80065-0. ISSN 0003-3472.
6. Engel, Anael; Reuben, Yaela; Kolesnikov, Irina; Churilov, Dmitri; Nathan, Ran; Genin, Amatzia (2024-03-07). "Space partitioning within groups of social coral reef fish". Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-023-02460-x. ISSN 1432-0975.

External links

• Photos of Dascyllus marginatus on Sealife Collection
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Dascyllus marginatus". FishBase. December 2008 version.