Reticulated Damselfish

Dascyllus reticulatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Dascyllus
Species: Dascyllus reticulatus

The reticulated damselfish (Dascyllus reticulatus) is a grey-green damsel with a fine net-like scale pattern and a dark bar behind the head. A second, fainter dark band often crosses the rear of the body.

It reaches about 8-9 cm and lives in groups over branching corals on reef slopes and lagoons. The group feeds on plankton above the coral and shelters among the branches, with larger males dominating each colony.

The reticulated damselfish is common across the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is one of the most familiar damsels hovering over coral heads.