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Threespot Damselfish

Little gardeners of the sea, threespot damselfish maintain mats of algae, selectively pruning their “gardens” for the specific types of algae they prefer, resulting in a continuous food source for these fish. 

 

Threespot damselfish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and in the Caribbean. They are a common fish in this area, making their homes in coral reefs and inside of caves during the night. When these fish are young, they are bright yellow with a black spot at the base of their fins. As they get older, their yellow fades to just a tint, and they are mainly brownish grey with dark lines that follow their scales.  

These fish are very territorial, known to bite and nip larger fish and even humans, all while protecting areas of coral that they use for the algae mats that they garden. These fish are quite the master gardeners; they even prune their gardens, leaving only the specific types of algae that they prefer. Threespot damselfish feed on this algae that they grow, preferring coral branches for their algae gardens. These fish also are known to eat mollusk eggs and sponges.  

 

 

The threespot damselfish is threatened by the aquarium trade but does not face many other known threats. However, many of its predators are threatened by overfishing, to the point where some are considered “ecologically extinct,” meaning their population has declined to the point where it’s interactions with other species are not significant.  This can lead to a trophic cascade that can have major impacts on the entire ecosystem. 

Because there are fewer predators, there are greater numbers of threespot damselfish, and greater numbers of these fish mean greater numbers of algae gardening. As threespot damselfish may at times kill live coral to make space for their gardening territory, this results in less coral habitats. Therefore, while these fish aren’t directly impacted by overfishing, indirect impacts can lead to negative effects across their entire ecosystem. 

 

 

As threespot damselfish rely on specific coral reef habitats to make their homes and their algae gardens, protecting coral reef habitats is crucial for these fish. Learn more about how Oceana works to protect coral reef habitats and how you can help protect coral reef habitats around the globe.  

 

 

IUCN Red List

FishBase

Precht, W., et al. (2010) Changing Patterns of Microhabitat Utilization by the Threespot Damselfish, Stegastes planifrons, on Caribbean reefs. Public Library of Science. Volume 5: Issue 5. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010835 

Vermeij, MJA., et al. (2015) Negative effects of gardening damselfish Stegastes planifrons on coral health depend on predator abundance. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Volume 528:289-296 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11243

 

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