Pomacentrus trichrourus
A small, easily overlooked damsel logged across South Sinai and Aqaba reefs at 25-29C, year-round and rarely far from cover.
A slim, compact damselfish around 8 cm, pale grey to silvery-blue overall with a translucent or whitish tail that gives it its name. It lacks bold stripes or bars, which along with its small size makes it easy to miss among busier reef fish. Look for it hovering close to coral or rocky rubble rather than out in open water.
Divers typically find it hovering low over coral heads and rubble patches, sticking close to structure rather than venturing into open water. It's an unshowy fish, generally ignoring passing divers and getting on with picking at plankton or small invertebrates near the reef surface. Expect brief, uncommon sightings rather than the dense shoals some damselfish form.
Like most small damselfish, it likely feeds on plankton drifting just above the reef, staying close enough to dive for cover the moment anything larger comes near.
Sightings show no clear seasonal pattern, and with a comfortable range of roughly 25 to 29C it's present on these reefs year-round.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most reliably logged in Egypt's South Sinai and Red Sea Riviera, with a strong presence across Aqaba in Jordan and a smaller number of sightings in Eilat, Israel. This is very much a northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba fish based on current diver records.
Mapping where Paletail Damsel is logged…
South Sinai and the Red Sea Riviera in Egypt are the most consistent spots, with Aqaba in Jordan also a solid option. Smaller numbers turn up around Eilat in Israel.
There's no strong seasonal pattern in the sightings, so it's a year-round fish on Red Sea reefs where water stays between roughly 25 and 29C.
Look for a small, plain pale grey to silvery fish around 8 cm long with a translucent tail and no bold markings. It sticks close to coral or rubble rather than swimming in open water.
They stay small, reaching around 8 cm as adults, which is typical for reef damselfish and part of why they're easy to overlook underwater.
No. They pose no threat to divers and simply go about their business near the reef when approached.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
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