Spiny chromis

The spiny chromis (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) is a species of damselfish from the western Pacific.[2] It is the only member of the genus Acanthochromis.

Spiny chromis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Family: Pomacentridae
Subfamily: Pomacentrinae
Genus: Acanthochromis
Gill, 1863
Species:
A. polyacanthus
Binomial name
Acanthochromis polyacanthus
(Bleeker, 1855)
Synonyms
List
  • Dascyllus polyacanthus Bleeker, 1855
  • Homalogrystes guntheri Alleyne & Macleay, 1877
  • Heptadecanthus longicaudis Alleyne & Macleay, 1877
  • Heptadecanthus brevipinnis De Vis, 1885
  • Heptadecanthus maculosus De Vis, 1885
  • Abudefduf jordani Seale, 1906
  • Chromis desmostigma Fowler & Bean, 1928

Taxonomy

The spiny chromis was first formally described in 1855 as Dascyllus polyacanthus by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker with the type locality given as Batman in the Moluccas. It is the only species in the genus Acanthochromis.[3] The genus name is a compound of acanthus meaning "spine", probably a reference to the 17 dorsal-fin spines, and Chromis, presumably referring to a relationship to that genus. The specific name polyacanthus means "many-spined".[4]

Distribution and habitat

The spiny chromis is found in the western Pacific Ocean.[2] It is found in western and central Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia, and all the islands in the Philippines except Luzon.[2] They are also found in Melanesia. This fish usually lives in coral reefs. This fish is found at a depth range of 1 to 65 metres (3.3 to 213.3 ft) but is usually found at a depth range of 4 to 20 metres (13 to 66 ft).[2]

Description

Spiny chromis individuals can grow up to a maximum size of 14 centimetres (5.5 in) as adults.[2] Its fins have 17 dorsal spines, 14 to 16 dorsal rays, 2 anal spines, and 14 to 16 anal rays.[2] This fish is gray on the front and white on the back. The ratio of grey to white varies by specific reef, as there is little interbreeding between reefs due to lack of pelagic larval period. Grey color can range from a blue-grey to brown as the fish matures. The top of its dorsal fin and the bottom of its anal fin is black. Some individuals are gray with a yellow horizontal line in the middle.

Ecology

Diet

This fish is planktonivorous and algivorous, and steals algae from algae-farming species of damselfish. Younger individuals have been known to eat mucus off the adults.[5] [6]

Life Cycle

The spiny chromis, unlike many other coral reef fishes, has direct development of their larvae, which means that the parents protect their brood from the egg stage (which are laid on the reef), through hatching and onto the fully developed juvenile stage.[7] There is no pelagic larval stage unlike the vast majority of coral reef fishes. This form of direct development means that the offspring often take up residence on the reef not far from where they were hatched. Consequently, high levels of local adaptation to their local environment has been recorded in this species.[8]

References
  1. Jenkins, A.; Carpenter, K.E.; Allen, G. & Yeeting, B. (2017). "Acanthochromis polyacanthus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T188464A1878808. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T188464A1878808.en.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2008). "Acanthochromis polyacanthus" in FishBase. December 2008 version.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Acanthochromis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (27 February 2021). "Series OVALENTARIA (Incertae sedis): Family POMACENTRIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. "Acanthochromis polyacanthus on Australian Museum" Australian Museum Retrieved on January 3, 2014
  6. https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/311#summary, (Bleeker 1855), retrieved October 23, 2023
  7. Kavanagh K (2000) Larval brooding in the marine damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Pomacentridae) is correlated with highly divergent morphology, ontogeny and life-history traits. Bulletin of Marine Science 66:321–337.
  8. Fulton CJ, Binning SA, Wainwright PC, Bellwood DR (2013) Wave-induced abiotic stress shapes phenotypic diversity within a coral reef fish across a geographical cline. Coral Reefs 32:685-689.
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