Emmanuel Bano, Frankreich
Info
We would like to thank Emmanuel Bano from Marseille, France, for the first photo of Pomacentrus rodriguesensis.
Emmanuel has been able to photograph the perch at Mourouk Cove on the island of Rodrigues.
Pomacentrus rodriguesensis is currently only known from Rodrigues, an island in the Indian Ocean belonging to Mauritius.
The perch is relatively common in the Rodrigues lagoon at depths between 9-18 meters and is also found in tide pools and coral reefs containing mainly Acropora corals affected by silt deposits.
Its preferred live coral habitat suggests that the perch may be susceptible to coral cover decline.
The perch is bluish gray with a yellow margin on the dorsal fin, a dark spot on the upper pectoral fin base, and yellow pelvic fins.
Juvenile fish have a conspicuous eye spot on the basal half of the soft dorsal fin between the fifth and ninth rays.
Pomacentrus rodriguesensis also behaved aggressively toward benthic foragers such as Pomacentrus pikei and Stegastes limbatus, as well as wrasse species in summer.
It is suggested that the territoriality pattern observed in Pomacentrus rodriguesensis prevents reduction of the benthic algal component of its diet by competitors.
Pomacentrus rodriguesensis appears to be related to other Pomacentrus species with 14 dorsal spines, particularly Pomacentrus pikei from Mauritius and Reunion in the Mascarene group and Pomacentrus indicus from the central Indian Ocean.
Emmanuel has been able to photograph the perch at Mourouk Cove on the island of Rodrigues.
Pomacentrus rodriguesensis is currently only known from Rodrigues, an island in the Indian Ocean belonging to Mauritius.
The perch is relatively common in the Rodrigues lagoon at depths between 9-18 meters and is also found in tide pools and coral reefs containing mainly Acropora corals affected by silt deposits.
Its preferred live coral habitat suggests that the perch may be susceptible to coral cover decline.
The perch is bluish gray with a yellow margin on the dorsal fin, a dark spot on the upper pectoral fin base, and yellow pelvic fins.
Juvenile fish have a conspicuous eye spot on the basal half of the soft dorsal fin between the fifth and ninth rays.
Pomacentrus rodriguesensis also behaved aggressively toward benthic foragers such as Pomacentrus pikei and Stegastes limbatus, as well as wrasse species in summer.
It is suggested that the territoriality pattern observed in Pomacentrus rodriguesensis prevents reduction of the benthic algal component of its diet by competitors.
Pomacentrus rodriguesensis appears to be related to other Pomacentrus species with 14 dorsal spines, particularly Pomacentrus pikei from Mauritius and Reunion in the Mascarene group and Pomacentrus indicus from the central Indian Ocean.
