Pomacentrus moluccensis

Pomacentridae
Yellow Damsel, Molucca Damsel, Yellow Damsel
  • Pomacentrus moluccensis, Adult. Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Pomacentrus moluccensis, Adult. Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Pomacentrus moluccensis, Torres Strait, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
    Pomacentrus moluccensis, Torres Strait, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Pomacentrus moluccensis, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Pomacentrus moluccensis, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Pomacentrus moluccensis, Adult, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
    Pomacentrus moluccensis, Adult, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
  • Pomacentrus moluccensis, Juvenile, Banda Archipelago, Indonesia, Photo: Joe Shields
    Pomacentrus moluccensis, Juvenile, Banda Archipelago, Indonesia, Photo: Joe Shields
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: Coral Reef
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 24.2
    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
  • Threats: Exploitation, Habitat degradation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
  • Occurrence: Common (35% 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
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