Common Name: Ward’s Damsel
Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Western Pacific region, including Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. In Australia recorded from far north Queensland south to northern New South Wales.
Ecological Notes: Frequents lagoons or outer reef slopes, either solitary or in small groups. Depth 1 – 20 m.
Additional Notes: Highly variable, nondescript colouration usually bluish or brown, without particular identifying marks. Similar Pomacentrus brachialis has a distinct black spot on the pectoral fin base and gold ringed eye. Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate where they are guarded by the male. Small juvenile approximately 50 mm long in lower photograph. Grows to 8 cm.
References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.280.
Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Pomacentrus+wardi. Accessed 02/07/18.
FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Pomacentrus-wardi.html. Accessed 02/07/18.