Plectroglyphidodon leucozona
An uncommon damselfish with a bold white bar, most often logged around Marsa Alam and Western Australia's reefs year-round.
Look for a small, deep-bodied damselfish with a dark brownish to blackish body cut through by one distinct pale white bar just behind the head, which is the feature that gives it away underwater. It has the typical stocky, oval damselfish silhouette and sits low over rubble and reef structure rather than swimming out in open water. No strong colour split between juveniles and adults is documented, so the white bar is a reliable marker at most sizes you will encounter.
Divers typically find it holding a small patch of reef or rubble, hovering close to its chosen shelter rather than roaming, in classic damselfish fashion. It is logged as uncommon rather than abundant at most sites, so expect to spot one or two individuals per dive rather than groups, usually low on the reef where there is broken coral or rocky cover to dart into.
Like most Plectroglyphidodon damselfish, it likely holds a small feeding and shelter territory over algae-covered rubble, defending that patch against intruders rather than schooling in open water.
Sightings show no detected seasonal pattern, and with a comfortable range of roughly 19.6 to 26.7C it seems to hold territory on these reefs year-round rather than appearing only in a particular season.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Egypt is the strongest bet, particularly around Marsa Alam and the Deep South, with additional sightings in South Sinai. Western Australia is the other major hotspot, and it also turns up reliably in Palawan in the Philippines and around Aqaba in Jordan, with occasional records from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Eilat in Israel.
Mapping where Singlebar Devil is logged…
Your best odds are in Egypt, especially around Marsa Alam and the Deep South, and in Western Australia. It also shows up reliably in Palawan, Philippines and around Aqaba, Jordan.
There is no clear season in the sighting data, so it is best treated as a year-round find on reefs within its 19.6 to 26.7C comfort range.
Check for a small, dark, deep-bodied damselfish with one clean white bar crossing the body just behind the head. It sits close to rubble or reef structure rather than swimming in open water.
No, they pose no danger to divers and are simply small, territorial reef fish that dart for cover if you get too close.
It is logged as uncommon at most sites where divers find it, occasionally rare, so it is a nice find rather than a guaranteed sighting on any given dive.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
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