Dascyllus melanurus
Blacktail Humbug
Dascyllus melanurus, adult, Photo: Graham EdgarSimilar Species
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Black and white bands of near equal width. Similar D. aruanus (Banded Humbug) lacks black on tail, and Chrysiptera tricincta (Threeband Demoiselle) has white on pelvic fin. Lives in small aggregations above staghorn coral in lagoons, retreating amongst the branches when approached.
Information
Max Size: 8 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 24.6-31.7°C
Depth: 1-68m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (2.0% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Many (33 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.