Pomacentrus lepidogenys
A pocket-sized reef damsel logged in Sulawesi and Nouméa, comfortable in 25 to 29C water year-round.
A small, slender damselfish around 6 cm, with a pale yellow to silvery-grey body that catches light off its fine scale rows. Look for a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin and a faint blue sheen along the upper body, most visible when it turns in the light. It holds a steady position over reef rubble or low coral growth rather than swimming far.
Divers typically find it hovering just above coral rubble or low reef structure, holding a loose position rather than darting for cover. It tends to stay close to shelter and will dip back toward the reef if a diver approaches too fast, but otherwise carries on picking at plankton in the water column. Look for it in small loose groups rather than alone.
Like most Pomacentrus damselfish, it feeds mainly by plucking plankton out of open water just above the reef rather than grazing algae off the substrate.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the data, and its comfort range of 25.2 to 29.3C matches tropical reef temperatures year-round in both Sulawesi and Nouméa. Dive it whenever you are in the region rather than planning around a specific month.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Logged sites are limited but real: Sulawesi in Indonesia and Nouméa in New Caledonia both have confirmed sightings, making these two regions the places to look for it. It shows up as an uncommon find rather than a guaranteed one, so treat any sighting as a bonus on a reef dive rather than the main target.
Mapping where Scaly Damselfish is logged…
Confirmed sightings come from Sulawesi in Indonesia and Nouméa in New Caledonia. Both regions show it as an uncommon reef find rather than a common sighting.
There is no detected seasonal pattern, and its temperature range of 25.2 to 29.3C is typical of tropical reefs all year. Any time you are diving Sulawesi or Nouméa is fair game.
Look for a small pale yellow-grey damselfish around 6 cm with a dark spot at the pectoral fin base and a faint blue sheen along the back. It hovers over rubble or low coral rather than swimming actively.
They reach about 6 cm, a typical size for small reef damselfish, so they are easy to overlook against busier reef life.
No. They are not considered dangerous to divers and simply retreat toward shelter if approached too closely.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
3,523 sites
