Pycnochromis ovatiformis
A small, uncommon damselfish logged on reefs in Luzon, Philippines, in warm 26-29C water year-round.
A small, oval-bodied damselfish at around 7 cm, easy to miss among busier reef fish. Look for the compact, deep-bodied shape typical of chromis, held with a slight tilt as it hovers over coral rather than darting into a burrow. Colouration is understated rather than flashy, so divers usually spot it by its shape and hovering posture before any distinct marking.
Divers report it as an uncommon find, typically seen hovering singly or in small numbers over reef structure rather than schooling in the open water column like some of its chromis relatives. It keeps a modest distance from divers without being especially flighty, and is easiest to pick out when the reef is calm and visibility allows a slow scan of coral heads.
It belongs to the same damselfish family as anemonefish and sergeant majors, but unlike its attention-grabbing cousins it stays low-key, which is likely why it is logged as uncommon even at the sites where it does occur.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the sighting data, and the observed water temperature range of 26.1 to 29.0C is a stable tropical band year-round, so any month diving Luzon gives a reasonable shot at it.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
All logged sightings so far come from the Philippines, specifically Luzon, where it turns up on a small number of dive sites. It is not yet documented elsewhere in diver records, so Luzon is currently the place to look for it.
Mapping where Ovate Chromis is logged…
Current diver records place it in the Philippines, with sightings concentrated in the Luzon region. It has not yet been logged from other countries in diver observation data.
There is no detected seasonal pattern, and the water it is found in stays a consistent 26.1 to 29.0C year-round, so it can turn up on any month's dive in Luzon.
Look for a small, oval-bodied damselfish around 7 cm long, hovering over reef structure rather than hiding in crevices. Its build is more compact than many reef damsels, which is the main visual cue divers use.
They stay small, reaching around 7 cm, which is typical for chromis species and keeps them easy to overlook against busier reef life.
It is logged as uncommon even at the handful of dive sites where it has been recorded, so spotting one takes a patient, close look at the reef rather than a quick pass.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
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