Stegastes

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Stegastes
Stegastes variabilis, juvenile

Stegastes variabilis , juvenile

Systematics
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Ovalentaria
incertae sedis
Family : Damselfish (Pomacentridae)
Subfamily : Stegastinae
Genre : Stegastes
Scientific name
Stegastes
Jenyns , 1840

Stegastes is a genus of damselfish (Pomacentridae). The genus lives worldwide in the shallow water of tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific . In the western Atlantic ( Bermuda , the Caribbean up to the coast of Brazil ) the fish called "Gregory" in English make up about half of the damselfish species.

features

Stegastes - species have the typical damselfish stocky build. Depending on the species, they reach lengths of 7.5 to 17 centimeters. While young fish are often very colorful, with bright yellow, blue or red, the adult fish are plain, dark and mostly monochrome, brownish or green-gray in color.

Way of life

Most Stegastes species are omnivorous. Some live as farmers and fish feed mainly herbivorous of filamentous algae. In their territory they tend to the algae species that they like. They pluck inedible algae from the substrate to create their preferred place to grow and defend their territory from other herbivorous fish such as doctor fish and rabbit fish . Algae-eating small invertebrates such as snails, hermit crabs and some starfish take them in their mouths and carry them away.

Like all the damselfishes examined, Stegastes are substrate spawners , they prefer caves or crevices as spawning grounds.

species

Stegastes albifasciatus
Stegastes flavilatus , juvenile
Stegastes nigricans
Stegastes planifrons

There are 38 valid types

swell

Web links

Commons : Stegastes  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  1. Stegastes on Fishbase.org (English)