Pomacentrus moluccensis
Yellow damsel | Molucca Damsel
Pomacentrus moluccensis, adult, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Pomacentrus moluccensis, Torres Strait, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
Pomacentrus moluccensis, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Pomacentrus moluccensis, adult, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Pomacentrus moluccensis, juvenile, Banda Archipelago, Indonesia, Photo: Joe Shields
Same Genus
![Pomacentrus sp. [rhodonotus]](https://images.reeflifesurvey.com/0/species_f2_58d8856ad74db.w400.h266.jpg)
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Body colour similar to P. amboinensis (Ambon damsel) but brighter and fins and tail opaque yellow rather than semi-transparent. Small blue ear spot and black axil spot. Abundant on shallow coral patches. Also distinguishable from P. amboinensis by behaviour, being usually found in the water column rather than in the rubble at the base of the reef.
Information
Max Size: 9 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 20.3-31.2°C
Depth: 1-14m
Habitat Generalization Index: 24.22
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: Common (34.8% 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 (88 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Andrew Green