Common name: Azores chromis

Synonyms and Other Names: Heliazes marginatus Valenciennes, 1843; Heliases limbatus Valenciennes, 1833 

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: The Azores chromis is deep-bodied with a large eye and a strongly forked caudal fin.  In females and non-breeding males the body is golden brown with paired fins that are typically orange.  Breeding males have a blue to purple body and an almost white belly.  The posterior edge of each scale is darker and there is a dark blotch where the pectoral fin meets the body. From Wood (1977).

Size: Maximum total length 14 cm, common to 12 cm (Allen 1991; Carpenter and De Angelis 2016).

Native Range: Eastern Atlantic Ocean from Portugal southward to the Gulf of Guinea may also reach Angola in southwest Africa (Loris and Rucabado 1990).  Also reported along West Africa from Senegal and Point Noire, Republic of the Congo (Wood 1977).  Common near the Azores, Canary Islands, and island of Madeira.

Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Ecology: Chromis species live in shallow water (3-50 meters), rely on rocky terrain for breeding as a substrate for eggs to attach, and larvae have short planktonic life of 18-19 days (Anderson et al. 2017, Wood 1977).  Chromis limbata feeds on plankton (Tuya et al. 2004).

Means of Introduction: Aquarium release is unlikely due to the low interest for aquarists and lack of availability of the species in Brazil (Anderson et al. 2017).  Other more likely pathways include rafting (“hitch-hiking”) along towed oil rigs between Africa and Brazil (Anderson et al. 2017) or dispersal of larvae and adults by rafting with algae or debris across the Atlantic Ocean (Anderson et al. 2017, Leite et al 2009).  

Status: Established in Brazil.

Impact of Introduction: It has been suggested that competition for territory and aggressive behavior during breeding could impact native species. Furthermore, Anderson et al. (2017) predicted that C. limbata would eventually become more abundant than the native C. multilineata and may continue to spread further south into Uruguay and Argentina.

References: (click for full references)

Adelier-Alves, J., Soeth, M., Braga, R.R., and Spach, H.L. 2018. Non-native reef fishes in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean: a recent record of Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Perciformes, Chaetodontidae) and biological aspects of Chromis limbata (Valenciennes, 1833) (Perciformes, Pomacentridae). Check List 14(2): 379-385.

Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Mergus, Melle, Germany. 271 p.
Anderson, A.B., Salas, E.M., Rocha, L.A., and Floeter, S.R. 2017. The recent colonization of south Brazil by the Azores chromis Chromis limbata. Journal of Fish Biology 91(2):558-573.

Anderson, A.B., Salas, E.M., Rocha, L.A., and Floeter, S.R. 2017. The recent colonization of south Brazil by the Azores chromis Chromis limbata. Journal of Fish Biology 91(2):558-573.

Carpenter, K.E. and De Angelis, N. eds. 2016. The living marine resources of the Eastern Central Atlantic. Volume 4: Bony fishes part 2 (Perciformes to Tetradontiformes) and Sea turtles. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes, Rome, FAO. Pp. 2343-3124.

Leite, J.R., Bertoncini, A.A., Bueno, L., Daros, F., Alves, J., and Hostim-Silva, M. 2009. The occurrence of Azores chromis, Chromis limbata in the south-western Atlantic. Marine Biodiversity Records 2, 3. doi:http://dx.doi.org.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/10.1017/S1755267209990637

Loris, D. and Rucabado, J. 1990. Pomacentridae. p. 842-850. In Quero, J.C., Hureau, J.C., Karrer, C., Post, A., and Saldanha, L. (eds.). Checklist of the fishes of the eastern Atlantic (CLOFETA). UNESCO, Paris. Vol 2.

Tuya, F., Boyra, A. Sanchez-Jeres, P., Barbera, C. and Haroun, R.J. 2004. Relationships between rocky-reef fish assemblages, the sea urchin Diadema antillarum and macroalgae throughout the Canarian Archipelago. Marine Ecology Progress Series 278:157-169.

Wood, E.M. 1977. A review of damsel fishes (Pises: Pomacentridae) of the genus Chromis from the central and eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Journal of Fish Biology 10:331-345.

Other Resources:

Author: Mary E. Brown and Pamela J. Schofield

Peer Review Date: 5/24/2018

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.