Chromis dispila
A common damselfish on North Island, New Zealand reefs, found year-round in cool water between 14.8 and 23.3 C.
A slim, oval-bodied damselfish around 14 cm, usually seen in dusty blue-grey to silvery tones with a faint dark edge on the forked tail. It lacks the bold stripes or bright patches of tropical damselfish, relying instead on a schooling silhouette and quick, darting swimming to catch a diver's eye. Look for it hovering in loose groups just off the reef, picking at drifting plankton mid-water rather than sitting tight to the bottom.
Divers most often find it hovering in loose, mid-water clusters just above reef structure, picking plankton out of the current rather than grazing the bottom like many of its damselfish relatives. It tends to hold station over a patch of reef and scatters mildly if approached too fast, but generally goes about its business with divers nearby. Expect to see it at a range of depths through the water column rather than tucked into one narrow zone.
As a pelagic-neritic species, it spends more of its time hanging in open water over the reef than most damselfish, which tend to hug the substrate.
Sightings show no clear seasonal pattern, so it's logged year-round. Its recorded temperature range of 14.8 to 23.3 C spans New Zealand's cooler and warmer months alike, meaning divers can expect it on North Island reefs whenever they're in the water.
This one is a North Island, New Zealand fish through and through, logged at sites right across that region with no other countries currently reporting it in the data. If you're diving temperate reefs and rocky pinnacles around the North Island, this is one of the reliable damselfish you'll cross paths with.
Mapping where Demoiselle is logged…
It's most reliably found on reefs around the North Island of New Zealand, where it's logged at dive sites across the region. Current data doesn't show established sightings outside New Zealand.
There's no strong seasonal pattern in sightings, so it's considered a year-round fish. It tolerates a wide temperature range from about 14.8 to 23.3 C, which covers most of the year on North Island reefs.
Look for a slender, oval damselfish around 14 cm long in muted blue-grey or silvery tones with a forked tail. It's usually seen hovering in loose groups over the reef rather than sitting still on the bottom.
They typically reach about 14 cm in length, a fairly small and slim-bodied damselfish.
No, they pose no danger to divers. They're a small, non-aggressive damselfish that will simply scatter if you get too close.
They range widely, from the shallows down to about 60 metres, and are often seen hovering mid-water above the reef rather than hugging the bottom.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
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