Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Chromis cf. enchrysura, Cobalt chromis, Whitetail reeffish, Whitetail Reeffish Chromis

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

dark blue-grey above, white below
blue stripe: mouth to upper back
soft D, C & A: white

Chromis cf enchrysura

Cobalt chromis, Whitetail reeffish

Body compressed, a deep oval; 1 pair of nostrils; edge of bone under eye smooth, no notch, hidden by scales; preopercle smooth or with occasional fine serrations; mouth small, protrusible, opens at front; teeth in 2 rows, outer conical, larger; a single continuous dorsal fin XIII, 11-13; anal fin II, 11-13; pectoral 17-19; 2-3 short projecting spines at upper and lower base of tail fin; caudal fin deeply forked, with rounded tips, elongate rays from tips; scales large and rough; body scaled, most of head scaled, basal parts of the median fins scaled; lateral line incomplete, ends under end of dorsal fin base; lateral line scales 15-19.

Adult: Upper head and body and spinous dorsal fin dark blue-grey, lower parts and tail base white; an electric blue stripe from top lip, through upper edge of eye to under front 1/3 of dorsal fin; a blue line from mouth, curving along underside of eye back to above pectoral base; soft dorsal, tail, anal and pelvic fins white.

Reaches 10 cm.

Outer edges of reefs.

Depth range: 70-178 m.

Bermuda  to Brazil.

Note: closely related to but genetically distinct from C. enchrysura, which has a different color pattern and a different geographic range.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom + water column
  • Near Bottom
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Water column
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Planktivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
  • All species..
  • Extends South of GC
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Not evaluated / Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 10
Depth Range Min
  • 70
Depth Range Max
  • 178