Brown Chromis

Bony Fish

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationSmall, oval-shaped damselfish with a deep body. Dark brown overall with a paler belly. Forked tail with dark edges. Juveniles may show a bright blue or white spot on the upper body.
• SizeUp to 16 cm total length, commonly 8 to 12 cm.
• Social HabitSchooling species that forms loose aggregations in midwater above reef structures. Often mixes with other planktivorous fish.
• HabitatRocky reefs, walls, and drop-offs where it hovers in the water column to feed on passing plankton.
• Depth5 to 40 m, most common between 10 and 30 m.
• Feeds OnZooplankton caught in the water column above its home reef.
• DistributionEastern Atlantic, including the Mediterranean Sea. Some taxonomic uncertainty regarding Mediterranean populations.
• DescriptionA small, unassuming damselfish that hovers in midwater schools above reef structures, picking plankton from the water column. It is less territorial than its relative the Mediterranean damselfish and more likely to be seen in open water rather than defending a patch of rock.