Genus: Chromis, Chromis, Chromis Damselfish, Damselfishes

CHROMIS

CHROMIS, DAMSELFISHES

Body compressed, deep to elongate; 1 pair of nostrils; mouth small, protrusible, opens at front; teeth in 2 rows, outer conical, larger; edge of bone under eye smooth, exposed; preopercle smooth; a single continuous dorsal fin, XII-XIII; anal fin with II spines; 2-3 short projecting spines at upper and lower base of tail fin; caudal fin forked; 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; </= 20 scales on lateral line.

A circumglobal tropical and temperate genus with over 84 species. There are 7 species in the Greater Caribbean, 1 endemic, 4 West Atlantic, 1 SW Atlantic and 1 pan-Atlantic.