Pomacentrus bankanensis
A common but easy-to-miss reef damselfish, most often logged around Visayas and Sulawesi in warm 26-29C water year-round.
A small, deep-bodied damselfish around 6 cm, with a dusky brown to olive body flecked with fine blue speckles that catch the light at close range. Look for a distinct dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin and, often, a smaller dark mark high on the tail base near the dorsal fin. It holds a tight, oval-shaped profile typical of damselfish and rarely strays far from a chosen patch of reef.
Expect to find it hovering low over coral rubble, dead coral heads, or the reef base, darting for cover the moment you get too close rather than holding ground like some of its bolder relatives. It picks at plankton and algae in short bursts through the day and tends to stay within a small home patch rather than roaming, so once you spot one you will often see several more nearby.
Like other damselfish, it tends to nest and guard small patches of algae or eggs on the reef, making it one of the many tiny territorial gardeners that shape what grows on a reef surface.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the sightings, and with a comfortable range of 25.5 to 29.3C this is a year-round fish on tropical reefs across its range.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
This is a reliable sighting across the Coral Triangle, most commonly logged in the Visayas region of the Philippines and Sulawesi and Raja Ampat in Indonesia. It also turns up consistently in Queensland, Australia, and around Efate in Vanuatu, with smaller but steady numbers from Nusa Tenggara and Maluku in Indonesia and Dili in Timor-Leste.
Mapping where Speckled Damselfish is logged…
It is a common find across the Coral Triangle, especially in the Visayas region of the Philippines, Sulawesi and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, and around Queensland in Australia and Efate in Vanuatu.
There is no strong seasonal pattern, and with a warm-water niche of roughly 25.5 to 29.3C it is present on tropical reefs throughout the year.
Look for a small, oval-bodied damselfish around 6 cm long with a brownish body covered in fine blue speckles, plus a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin. It usually hovers close to rubble or coral rather than swimming in open water.
They stay small, typically around 6 cm long, which is standard for reef damselfish and one reason they are easy to overlook among busier reef life.
No. They are harmless to divers and simply dart away or retreat into rubble if you approach too closely.
Yes, like many damselfish they hold a small home patch of reef or rubble and will chase off other small fish that intrude, though they pose no threat to divers.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Yellowtail Clownfish
3,523 sites
