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Related FAQs: Chromis Damsels, Chromis FAQs 2, Chromis Identification, Chromis Behavior, Chromis Compatibility, Chromis Selection, Chromis Systems, Chromis Feeding, Chromis Disease, Chromis Reproduction, Damsel Identification, Damsel Selection, Damsel Compatibility, Damsel Feeding, Damsel Disease, Damsel Reproduction, Related Articles: The Damselfish family Pomacentridae, /A Diversity of Fishes Genus Chromis Damsels | 
| By Bob Fenner | A school of Chromis viridis in Fiji |
Aquarium Species of Chromis of Interest: If one wanted, they could have a marine store stocking nothing but these small, peaceful fishes. The genus Chromis comprises some eighty described species. | Chromis acares Randall & Swerdloff 1973, the Midget Chromis. Pacific Plate; Mariana Is. to Hawaiian, Society Islands. To one and three quarter inches in length. This one in Roratonga, Cook Islands and Raja Ampat, Indo. |  .JPG)
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| Chromis agilis Smith 1960, the Reef Chromis. Widespread in the Indo-west Pacific, including Hawaiian Islands where this species is most frequently gathered for the aquarium trade. To three inches in length. A good species for reef tanks. Hawai'i images of a juvenile and adult. |  
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| Chromis alpha Randall 1988, the Yellow-Speckled Chromis. Western and central southern Pacific, plus eastern Indian Ocean. To about three inches in length. A touchier species that rarely makes its way into the hobby, mainly from Fiji. One in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia, another in Fiji. |  
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| Chromis amboinensis (Bleeker 1873), the Ambon Chromis. West-central Pacific; Cocos-Keeling Islands to Samoa and the Marshall Islands. To three inches in length. This one off of Queensland, Australia. | 
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| Chromis analis (Cuvier 1830), Yellow Chromis. To 17 cm. in length. Western Pacific; Japan, Australia, Fiji. One in Fiji, another in N. Sulawesi. |  
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| Chromis atripectoralis Welander & Schultz 1951, the Black-Axil Chromis. Very similar to the oh-so-common Blue Chromis, C. viridis, but distinguished by a prominent black blotch at their insertion to the pectoral fins. Indo-Pacific but not Hawai'i. This specimen in Australian waters. To four and a half inches in length. | 
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| Chromis caudalis Randall 1988, the Dusky Chromis. Eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. To three inches in length. Mainly imported from the Marshalls and Indonesia. A hardy species if shipped properly and not nicked. This one in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia. | 
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| Chromis cyanea (Poey 1860), the Blue Chromis. One of actually a few species with this common appellation. This one hails from the tropical west Atlantic. To four inches in length. One off the coast of Bimini and another off Cancun. | 
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| Bigger PIX: The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Chromis dimidiata (Klunzinger 1871), the Two-tone Chromis. Indian Ocean and Red Sea (origin of this image). To two inches overall length. A more common offering in European pet-fish markets. Red Sea image. | 
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| Chromis hanui Randall & Sverdluff 1973, the Chocolate-Dip Chromis. Abrupt white on caudal, dorsal and anal regions. Hawaiian island endemic, 6-165 feet. To 3.5 inches in length. Kona pix. | 
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| Chromis insolata (Cuvier 1830), the Olive Chromis. An incidental Damsel shipped out of the tropical western Atlantic from time to time. To about five inches maximum length. A juvenile in Cozumel and adult one in the Bahamas. |  
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| Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods 1980, Limbaugh's Chromis. Found only in the Sea of Cortez, twixt Mexico's Baja and Pacific mainland. To four inches in length. This one in the Birch Aquarium in San Diego. | 
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| Chromis margaritifer Fowler 1926, the Bicolor Chromis. Indo-Pacific. To three and a half inches in length. This one odd of Pulau Redang, Malaysia. | 
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| Chromis maritianis Tanaka 1917, the Japanese Chromis. Western Pacific, around mid to southern Japan. To 11 cm. in length. Photo of an adult by Hiroyuki Tanaka. | 
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| Chromis multilineata (Guichenot 1853), the Yellow-Edge Chromis. Tropical west Atlantic. To about four inches maximum length. This is another unintentional catch Damsel offered infrequently. One in St. Lucia, another off Bonaire where the species is a common reef inhabitant. |  
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| Chromis nitida (Whitley 1928), the Barrier Reef Chromis. Western Pacific; Australia. To two and a half inches. Very abundant within its range. | 
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| Chromis okamurai Yamakawa & Randall 1989, the Okinawan Chromis. East China Sea; Okinawa. To 9.4 cm. Hiroyuki Tanaka pic. | 
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| Chromis ovalis (Steindachner 1900), the Oval Chromis. Hawaiian Island endemic. Lives in groups as adults. Zoo-plankton feeder. Adult greenish with dark fin edges. Sub-adults yellow-bodied with blue streak over eye. Juveniles (shown, photographed off of Honaunau on the Big Island) brilliant blue with yellow dorsal surface, and a more somber adult elsewhere off of Kona. |  
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| Chromis pembae Smith 1960, the Pemba Chromis. Western Indian Ocean; Red Sea, East Africa to Tanzania. To 13 cm. overall. Red Sea image. Lives over steep drop offs. | 
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| Chromis punctipinnis (Cooper 1863), the Blacksmith Chromis. A cool water member of the genus, found from central California in the U.S. to central Baja California, Mexico in the eastern Pacific. To ten inches in length. This eight inch one in the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach. | 
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| Chromis retrofasciata Weber 1913, the Blackbar Chromis. Western Pacific; Indonesia to Fiji to the Ryukyus and New Caledonia. To two inches in length. N. Sulawesi pic. | 
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| Chromis vanderbilti (Fowler 1941), Vanderbilt's Chromis. A small beauty (to two inches) of the Central and West Pacific. This one in the Cook Islands. A rare import best kept in a small school in a peaceful setting. | 
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| Chromis verator Jordan & Mertz 1932, the Threespot Chromis. Hawaiian endemic, found in deep water, generally below 60 feet to 600 feet. To eight inches long. Can brighten/dim white spots. Kona pix. |  
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| Chromis weberi Fowler & Bean 1928, Weber's Chromis. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea, East Africa to Micronesia. To 13.5 cm. in length. Found singly or in groups at tops of steep reef edges. Red Sea image. | 
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| Chromis xanthura (Bleeker). Here in Mabul, Malaysia. | .JPG)
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Bibliography/Further Reading: Allen, Gerald R. 1973. Chromis bitaeniatus Fowler and Bean, the juvenile of Abudefduf behni (Bleeker). TFH 5/73. Allen, Gerald R. 1975. Damselfishes of the South Seas. TFH Publications, Neptune City, N.J. Allen, Gerald R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Aquarium Systems, Mentor, Ohio. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 1978. The Biology of the Damselfishes a symposium held during the 56th annual meeting of the ASIH. Rosentiel School of Mar. & Atm. Sci. U. of Miami, 1980, 145-328. Emmens, C.W. 1984. Damselfishes. TFH 9/84. Fenner, Bob. 1989. Successfully selling the popular marines. Pets Supplies Marketing 1/89. Fenner, Bob & Cindi Camp, 1991. Damselfishes, saltwater bread and butter. FAMA 10/91. Fenner, Robert. 1998. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Microcosm, VT. 432pp. Fenner, Robert. 1999. The indomitable damsels- Family Pomacentridae. TFH 1/99. Flood, A. Colin. 1992. Thos darling damsels. TFH 8/92. Gronell, A.M., 1984. Look-alike damsels. TFH 32(8) 48-53. Randall, John E. 1982. Chromis pelloura; a new species of damselfish from the northern Red Sea. FAMA 11/82. Stratton, Richard F. 1992. The Blacksmith Damsel. TFH 4/92. Thresher, R.E., P.L. Colin & Lori J. Bell. 1989. Planktonic duration, distribution and population structure of western and central Pacific damselfishes (Pomacentridae). Copeia 1989(2), pp. 420-434.
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