Common name: Damsel Fish. Scientific Name: Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Family: Pomacentridae.

There will be some big news about this fish soon so come back to news@csiro on Monday mid-morning. In the meantime – Its colour is variable from blue-grey on the southern Great Barrier Reef to brown further north and some coral species are completely white.

In Australia it is found from the north-western coast of Western Australia and the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

The species is unusual in that the larvae stay with the parents after hatching – as you can see in the photo above.

0 comments

  1. Anne Morris (@SaganGal)

    2nd December 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Oh Yay!

    It’s a pretty one this time.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with the past Friday Fish pinups. Just that some of them look like something that came out of Gerry Anderson’s ‘Stingray’… Nature is truly awesome!

    My kids and I are really enjoying these.

    Thanks again!

  2. Rebecca Carter

    2nd December 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Dear Mr Morgan
    How do you select fish for “Friday Fish Time”?
    Regards
    Rebecca Carter

    1. Huw Morgan

      2nd December 2011 at 4:07 pm

      Dear Rebecca,
      Thanks for your question.
      Each week an expert panel of fish fanciers gathers and judge the hundreds of applications from fish around the world to be the Friday Fish Time fish.
      Or – I just look for way out looking fish from the National Fish Collection in Hobart.
      Yours in fish,
      Huw.

Commenting on this post has been disabled.