Microspathodon bairdii, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Photo: Graham Edgar
Distribution
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Description
Large, dark damsel with a hump on top of the head that gets larger with age, often with lighter bands on on head and fore-body and blue irises. Juveniles with blue sides and back and an orange belly. Adults usually inhabit rocky areas exposed to wave action and currents.
Information
Max Size: 25 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 21.2-30.4°C
Depth: 1-15m
Habitat: Coral Reef, Rocky Reef
Habitat Generalisation Index: 2.9
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
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Frequent (12% 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: Few (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
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