The Canary damsel (''Similiparma lurida'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

fish of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Pomacentridae Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the order Perciformes but are now regarded as being ''incertae sedis'' in the subseries Ovalentaria in the clade Perco ...

. It lives primary in shallow, subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and is sometimes also known as the Cape Verde gregory, which is also a common name of '' Stegastes imbricatus''.

Description

Each fish has large eyes, with coloring that is black to brownish black with blue on the fins, and lighter colors on the ventral part of the body. Juveniles may have lateral stripes on their bodies as well. During their

mating season Seasonal breeders are animal species that successfully mate only during certain times of the year. These times of year allow for the optimization of survival of young due to factors such as ambient temperature, food and water availability, and cha ...

, adults exhibit

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

Distribution and habitat

Canary damsels are commonly associated with reefs in subtropical regions, where individuals grow to around 15 cm in length, and feed primarily on

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

and small invertebrates.Reiner, F. (1996): Catálogo dos peixes do Arquipélago de Cabo Verde. ''Publicações avulsas do IPIMAR No. 2. 339 p.'' It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, specifically near

Macaronesia Macaronesia (Portuguese: ''Macaronésia,'' Spanish: ''Macaronesia'') is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, off the coasts of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of List of islands in the At ...

(

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

Savage Islands The Savage Islands or Selvagens Islands ( pt, Ilhas Selvagens ; also known as the Salvage Islands) are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Madeira, and north of the Canary Islands.

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

) and Senegal at depths to about . Canary damsels inhabit rocky areas, where they lay eggs that are defended by males. The young can be found along the

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

, especially in

tide pool A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only at low tide. Many tide pool habitats are home to especially adaptable animals that ...

s.Quignard, J.-P. & Pras, A. (1986): Pomacentridae. p. 916-918. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L., Bauchot, J.-C., Hureau, J.N. & Tortonese, E. (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. ''UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.''

Relationship with humans

The Canary damsel is sometimes harvested for use in saltwater aquaria, albeit on a very small scale. Its total population size is unknown and it faces no known threats from humans aside from its infrequent use in the aquarium trade. It is also found in many marine protected regions. This fact, together with a non-fragmented range, and no evidence of population decline, has led the IUCN to classify the Canary damsel as "Least Concern." File:Abudefduf luridus.jpg File:Fula negra (Abudefduf luridus), Madeira, Portugal, 2019-05-31, DD 43.jpg File:Abudefduf luridus1.jpg

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q967991

Canary damsel The Canary damsel (''Similiparma lurida'') is a species of marine fish of the family Pomacentridae. It lives primary in shallow, subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and is sometimes also known as the Cape Verde gregory, which is also a co ...

Fauna of Macaronesia Fauna of the Azores Vertebrates of the Canary Islands Fauna of the Gambia Fauna of Madeira