Kenyan Chromis Facts and Photographs

The Kenyan chromis (Chromis nigroanalis) was described by Allen in 1998. They are not common on the Tanzanian coast but in certain areas there are fair numbers of them.

APPEARANCE

The body has an oval disc shape with a sharpish nose. The base color of the body is silver with yellow on the scale edges across the body and purple on the head. Just above the anal fin there is a patch of blue. The anal fin is black with a bright light blue edging and the pelvic fin is blue. On the dorsal fin there is a black stripe on the upper rays and the caudal fin is lined in black on the outer rays. They grow up to 8 cm in length.

KENYAN CHROMIS IN THE WILD

They are not common fish on Tanzanian reefs. Usually they are seen on the outer reef slopes from 30 meters downwards. They swim in loose shoals above the substrate and will swim off rather than go into hiding. They appear to be territorial and if one returns to the same spot they will be there.

HABITAT

The Kenyan Chromis is found across the West Indian Ocean area from Tanzania northwards to the Red sea where there has been one sighting in Israel. They are found on the slopes off shore unprotected reefs from 30 meters down to at least 50 meters.

DIET

The Kenyan Chromis seem to feed on zooplankton from their behavior and little seems known of their feeding habits.

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

Although Damselfish are hardy fish and would be easy to keep in an aquarium, they would undoubtedly be highly territorial. It is almost a certainty that they will harass and beat up more peaceful fish. For this reason few people keep the damselfish.
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