Fourstripe Damselfish

Dascyllus melanurus

Fourstripe Damselfish

Dascyllus melanurus

Other Common Names
Blacktail Humbug, Blacktail Damselfish

Connected Coasts

Other Common Names

Blacktail Humbug, Blacktail Damselfish

At the Aquarium

Connected Coasts

Appearance

Fourstripe damselfish closely resemble the three stripe damselfish with three black vertical bands on their white bodies. Fourstripe damselfish can be told apart by the large black area over the outer two-thirds of their tail. Fourstripe damselfish can grow up to a maximum total length of 8.5 cm.

Habitat

Lagoons and sheltered nearshore coral reefs. Typically lives at depths of 1 to 10 m but may go as deep as 68 meters

Diet

Zooplankton, benthic invertebrates and algae

Life History

Fourstripe damselfish are demersal spawners, meaning eggs are deposited in a pre-prepared nest. Males prepare nests by removing debris from the seafloor and will guard the nest from other fishes. Males also perform courtship rituals by signal jumping and producing sounds to attract females. Once the eggs hatch they enter a larval stage where they disperse and drift in ocean currents. They eventually settle on the reef thanks to chemical cues also known as olfaction. This special sense helps them find suitable corals.

Fourstripe damselfish are found in large groups and have a close association with branching corals, particularly Acropora, Pocillopora and Stylophora corals.

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Fourstripe damselfish often compete with yellow-tail blue damselfish (Chrysiptera parasema) for territory and resources in coral habitats. Due to this, fourstripe damselfish populations can influence the wellbeing of yellow-tail blue damselfish and vice versa. Like other species of damselfish, this species plays an important role in maintaining the health of coral reef ecosystems. They are prey for larger fishes and as a bottom feeder they limit algal overgrowth on corals.

In the Indo-Pacific from central Indonesia north to the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu to the Marshall Islands, Palau and Micronesia

This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.

Damselfish can produce sound. Fourstripe damselfish do this during courtship when a male is trying to attract females. The sounds vary between species of damselfish.

Citations & Other Resources

Allen, G.R., H. Arceo, M.T.M. Mutia, F.B. Muyot, C.L. Nañola and M. Santos. 2022. Dascyllus melanurus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022

Myers, R. F. 1991. Micronesian reef fishes : a practical guide to the identification of the coral reef fishes of the tropical central and western Pacific (2nd ed.). Coral Graphics.

Coppock, A. G., N.M. Gardiner and G.P. Jones. 2013. Olfactory discrimination in juvenile coral reef fishes: Response to conspecifics and corals. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 443, 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.02.026

Fourstripe Damselfish

Fourstripe Damselfish

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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