Dascyllus reticulatus
Grey-white damselfish with a netted pattern, common on reefs across the Visayas, Bali and Sabah in 25-29C water year-round.
A small, deep-bodied damselfish reaching about 6cm, pale grey to whitish overall with a fine dark reticulated (net-like) pattern across the scales that gives it its name. It has a dark bar through the eye and a dark blotch near the base of the tail, which stays paler than the rest of the fin. Look for it hovering in tight clusters just above branching coral rather than sitting flat against it.
Found hovering in loose to tight groups just above branching coral heads, usually a few centimetres to a metre off the structure, darting back down into cover the moment a shadow passes overhead. Divers usually see it in the same spot dive after dive, since it stays close to one coral head rather than roaming the reef. It is not territorial towards divers the way some damselfish are, so it will simply retreat rather than confront you if you get close.
It shelters in branching coral colonies as a group, using the coral's structure as an instant refuge, which is why you almost always see it in numbers rather than alone.
No clear seasonal pattern in the sightings, and with a comfortable range of roughly 24.6 to 28.9C it sits happily on tropical reefs all year, so any month works at these sites.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most reliably logged across the Philippines, especially the Visayas, and in Malaysia across both Peninsular Malaysia's east coast and Sabah. Indonesia turns it up widely too, particularly in Bali and Sulawesi, with further strong records in Queensland, Australia and Okinawa in Japan.
Mapping where Reticulate Dascyllus is logged…
It turns up widely across the Philippines (especially the Visayas), Malaysia's Peninsular east coast and Sabah, and Indonesia including Bali and Sulawesi. Queensland in Australia and Okinawa in Japan are also solid spots for it.
There is no strong season for it in the data, and it tolerates a fairly wide tropical range of about 25 to 29C, so it is present on reefs year-round at these sites.
Look for a small, grey-white damselfish under 6cm with a fine dark netted pattern over its body, a dark eye bar, and a darker patch near the tail base. It hovers in loose groups just above branching coral rather than sitting on the reef floor.
They stay small, topping out at around 6cm, which is typical for reef damselfish in this genus.
No. They are harmless to divers and simply retreat into coral cover if you approach too closely.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
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