Azurina lepidolepis
A small blue-grey damselfish most reliably spotted around Taveuni, Fiji, in warm 25-29C reef water year-round.
A slim, torpedo-shaped damselfish reaching about 6 cm, with a pale blue-grey to silvery body and faint scale outlines that give it a lightly etched look. It lacks the bold bars or eye-spots of many reef damsels, so look for the plain, understated colouring and the slightly forked tail as it hovers just off the reef. Usually seen in loose groups rather than alone.
Typically seen hovering in small, loose groups a short distance above the reef, picking at drifting plankton in the water column rather than feeding directly off the substrate. It keeps a modest distance from divers and drifts back into cover over coral rubble or reef structure if approached too quickly, so a slow, level approach gives the best look.
Like many damselfish, it feeds mostly on plankton snatched from midwater, which is why you tend to spot it hanging just off the reef face rather than picking through the coral itself.
Sightings show no clear seasonal pattern, and with a comfortable range of roughly 25 to 29 C it stays on these reefs year-round, so any month diving Taveuni or Nouméa gives a fair shot at it.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most consistently logged around Taveuni in Fiji, which accounts for the bulk of recorded sightings, with smaller but steady numbers around Nouméa in New Caledonia. Divers also report it in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and around Dili in Timor-Leste, though at all these sites it turns up as an uncommon find rather than a guaranteed one.
Mapping where Scaly Chromis is logged…
The strongest sightings come from Taveuni in Fiji, with further records around Nouméa in New Caledonia, Sulawesi in Indonesia, and Dili in Timor-Leste. Even at these sites it counts as an uncommon sighting, so treat it as a bonus rather than a target species.
There is no strong seasonal pattern in the sightings, and the water temperatures it favours, roughly 25 to 29 C, hold steady on these reefs year-round. That makes it a fair possibility on any dive trip to Taveuni or Nouméa regardless of month.
Look for a small, slender damselfish about 6 cm long with a plain blue-grey to silvery body and faint scale detailing, usually hovering in a loose group just off the reef. It lacks bold stripes or an eye-spot, which helps separate it from busier-patterned damselfish nearby.
They stay small, topping out at around 6 cm, which is typical for damselfish in this family. Expect a fish roughly the size of your palm at most.
No, they pose no risk to divers. They are small plankton feeders that keep their distance and offer nothing more than a calm, easy-going sighting.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
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