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Three-spot Dascyllus
Dascyllus trimaculatus (Rüppell, 1829)
Above and below: A Three-spot Dascyllus at a depth of 24m, Mantis Reef, Wreck Bay, far northern Great Barrier Reef, November 2001. View larger image.
Three-spot Dascyllus are blue-black with dark scale margins. Juveniles have a white spot on the forehead and one on the side of the body. As an individual ages, the forehead spot disappears and the spot on the side of the body becomes indistinct or disappears.
This species grows to 13cm in length.
It inhabits lagoons and coral reefs. Juveniles are often associated with large sea anemones and are sometimes seen with Anemone fish. As they grow, Three-spot Dascyllus lose the ability to live in anemones. Adults occur in small to large aggregations.
Three-spot Dascyllus are found in depths from 1m to 55m.
This species feeds on algae, copepods and other planktonic crustaceans.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea, throughout South-east Asia and Micronesia, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to the Pitcairn Islands.
In Australia the Three-spot Dascyllus is known from the north-western coast of Western Australia and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, south to southern New South Wales and Lord Howe Island.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The Three-spot Dascyllus is also known as the Three-spot Humbug.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1975. Damselfishes of the South Seas. TFH Publications. Pp. 237.
- Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Mergus. Pp. 271.
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 220.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 251.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2006
Page researched and compiled by
K. Parkinson & M. McGrouther, August 2003.
