The blue star damsel is also know as the neon damsel or Allen's damsel, after Dr Gerald Allen - the world's authority on damselfishes. It has a slender, neon-blue body, with a blending of yellow towards the anal fin. It grows up to about 6cm in length.

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Fun Facts...
When mating, these fish form distinct pairs. Eggs are laid in the substrate and males tend to the nest, aerating the eggs and guarding them from predators.

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Location... Found in the eastern Indian Ocean: Similan Island, Thailand and parts of Indonesia.

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Habitat... Inhabit rubble and dead reef outer slopes, usually in small groups.

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Diet...
Omnivorous, small invertebrates and vegetation.

The neon velvet damsel is black with two horizontal, irridecent blue stripes and one vertical white stripe. It reaches about 15cm in length and juveniles are dark blue with a yellow stripe or spot. This fades with age. They can be quite territorial and will pair up when breeding. The female lays sticky eggs which adhere to rocks, they male will guard and aerate the eggs.

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Fun Facts...
A female neon velvet damsel can lay up to twenty thousand eggs in one go!

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Location... Western Central Pacific; Indo-Australian Archipelago, including the Philippines and Indonesia.

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Habitat... Inhabits protected reef flats in lagoons and inshore reefs.

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Diet...
Omnivore, will eat zooplankton and algae.

Recognised by the brilliant light-blue colour. This small (max 8.5cm) species exhibits a colour difference between sexes; juveniles and females usually have a small black spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin and lack yellow; males have a bright yellow snout and tail. This species live in social groups of one male and several females.

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Fun Facts...

The male will guard the eggs by chasing away egg thieves such as wrasses and aerates them by swimming over the top.

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Location...

Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific region.

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Habitat...

Tropical coral reefs.

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Diet...
Algae and small crustaceans.

The humbug damselfish grows up to about 8.5cm in length. It has a white body with three black bars running vertically down its body. The first bar is over the head, the second runs from the dorsal fin to the abdomen and the third is just before the tail. It is because of this colouration that it gets its common name as it looks like the tradional 'humbug' sweet. The snout and tail are both white.

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Fun Facts...

Male humbug damselfish will make a nest and invite the female in to spawn. They then potect the eggs until they hatch and will aggressively drive off other fish.

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Location...

Found in the Indo-West Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan and south to Sydney in Australia. 

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Habitat...

Inhabits shallow lagoons and subtidal reef flats. 

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Diet...
Feeds on zooplankton, benthic invertebrates and algae.

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