Parma victoriae
Brownish reef damselfish common on temperate reefs in Victoria, Australia, in cool 15-21C water year-round.
Sits around 14 cm long with a deep, oval body typical of damselfish, coloured brown to grey-brown with each scale outlined in a paler edge, giving a faintly netted or scaled look that gives the fish its name. Look for a slightly darker head and a rounded tail, and watch for the way it holds a fixed position over a patch of reef rather than roaming. There's no dramatic colour break between males and females noted for this species, so size and territorial behaviour are your best underwater cues.
Divers most often find it holding station over a favoured patch of rocky or reef habitat, defending that patch rather than schooling in open water. It's an omnivore that picks at algae and small invertebrates on the reef surface and tends to stay put as divers pass, making it an easy, unhurried subject for a photo. Expect it anywhere from the shallows down to around 35 metres, though most encounters happen well within recreational depths.
Like many damselfish, it likely holds and guards a patch of reef as a home territory, which is why divers tend to see the same individual in the same spot on repeat dives at a site.
Sightings are logged year-round with no strong seasonal pattern, which fits its cool-water niche of roughly 15 to 21C, a range that holds fairly steady across the seasons on these temperate reefs. Plan around water temperature and visibility for your trip rather than chasing a particular month.
This is a southern Australian speciality, most commonly logged in Victoria, with a strong secondary population in South Australia and smaller numbers turning up in Western Australia. Sites around Victoria's temperate reefs give the best odds of a sighting, with South Australian reefs a solid backup.
Mapping where Scalyfin is logged…
It's most reliably seen on temperate reefs in Victoria, Australia, with South Australia a strong secondary spot and smaller numbers reported from Western Australia.
There's no strong season logged for this species, sightings happen year-round across its cool-water range of about 15 to 21C, so any time you're diving southern Australian reefs is fair game.
Look for a brown to grey-brown damselfish around 14 cm long with pale edges on each scale creating a netted pattern, holding a fixed position over a reef patch rather than swimming freely.
They typically reach about 14 cm in length, a modest size in line with most reef-associated damselfish.
No, they pose no danger to divers and are generally easy to approach and photograph as they hold their ground over a reef patch.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
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