False eye Damselfish – Facts and Photographs

The False-eye Damselfish Abudefduf sparoides is also known as the False-eye Sergeant. Compared to most Damselfish the have a very small range. Even within the range they are not a commonly seen fish.

APPEARANCE

The body has an oval shape with a sharpish nose. The base color of the body is silver colour with a blue tint. There is a prominent black spot in the caudal area. The pelvic, dorsal, anal and caudal fins are a light blue colour. They grow up to 16 cm in length but the largest specimens we have observed in Tanzania have been 12 cm.

FALSE-EYE DAMSELFISH IN THE WILD

They are not a very common fish on Tanzanian reefs but neither are they uncommon. They are usually seen on protected reefs to a depth of 12 to 14 meters and congregate in loose shoals of up to thirty fish. When a diver approaches the shoal disperses rather than collectively hiding. After the diver leaves the area the shoal reforms.

HABITAT

The False-eye Damsel is found in the west Indian ocean from Kenya down to South Africa. They are also found on the West Indian ocean islands including Aldabra, Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius. In Tanzanian waters they are usually found between 3 and 14 meters. They are found on protected reefs that sometimes experience a surge.

DIET

The False-eye Damselfish feed predominantly on algae and may supplement their diet on zooplankton.

REPRODUCTION

Little if any research has been done on their mating habits, but they probably follow the normal Damselfish behavior. Pairing before mating is usual and after the male cleans a patch for the eggs, mating takes place. The eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. The males guard and aerate the eggs until they hatch.

AQUARIUMS

They are hardy fish and would be easy to keep in an aquarium. However they would undoubtedly become highly territorial. It is almost a certainty that they will harass and beat up more peaceful fish.

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