Common name: Jewel Damsel

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Marshall and Society islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia. In Australia recorded from the west coast, from around Perth through the north-west shelf region to around Broome, on the east coast from Cape York south to Coffs Harbour, including the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea and Lord Howe Island.

Ecological notes: Adults inhabit clear lagoon and seaward reefs, areas of mixed coral and rubble or dead coral rocks. Feeds mainly on benthic algae and associated small invertebrates, fish eggs. Depth to 40m.

Additional notes: Adults with dark body covered with even scattering of small blue spots, these may be difficult to see on mature specimens. Pale white to yellow tail becoming dusky with age, yellow eye. Juveniles, as pictured here, bright to dark green, numerous black-edged blue spots, yellow tail. Grows to 10 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p 270.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication.  Stegastes-lacrymatus.html. Accessed 06/04/2024