COMMENTS
v. 4.0 – 11 Feb. 2024  view/download PDF

Family POMACENTRIDAE Damselfishes
29 genera · 436 species

Subfamily CHROMINAE

Azurina Jordan & McGregor 1898    latinization of the French l’azur (blue), referring to “deep steel blue” color on upper body of A. hirundo

Azurina atrilobata (Gill 1862)    atria-, black; lobata, lobed, referring to black caudal-fin lobes

Azurina brevirostris (Pyle, Earle & Greene 2008)    brevis, short; rostris, snout, referring to very short snout relative to congeners

Azurina cyanea (Poey 1860)    blue, referring to its bright Prussian blue coloration (with a darker violet spot on each side)

Azurina elerae (Fowler & Bean 1928)    in honor of zoologist Castro de Elera (1852-?), a Dominican friar, author of the three-volume Catalago sistematico de toda la fauna de Filipinas (1895-1896), cited several times by the authors

Azurina eupalama Heller & Snodgrass 1903    etymology not explained, perhaps eu-, very; palamus, stake-like, referring to more slender body compared to A. hirundo

Azurina hirundo Jordan & McGregor 1898    swallow, referring to bird-like body, long and slender with a very deeply forked tail; a “beautiful fish with a symmetrical outline, unusual in this family”

Azurina intercrusma (Evermann & Radcliffe 1917)    inter, among or between, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence in the vicinity of small island groups on the coasts of Peru and Chile; crusma, similar to and previously identified as Chromis crusma

Azurina lepidolepis (Bleeker 1877)    lepido-, scaly; lepis, scale, literally “scaly scale,” referring to scales of nape and back with small basal auxiliary scales

Azurina meridiana (Greenfield & Woods 1980)    south, one of the more southern species of Chromis in the eastern Pacific

Azurina multilineata (Guichenot 1853)    multi-, many; lineatus, lined, referring to numerous longitudinal lines formed by a series of dark spots, especially on the sides

Chromis Cuvier 1814    tautonymous with Sparus chromis (see C. chromis, below)

Chromis abyssicola Allen & Randall 1985    abyss, deep; –cola, dweller or inhabitant, referring to deeper habitat (90-152 m) compared to most other pomacentrids

Chromis abyssus Pyle, Earle & Greene 2008    named for the documentary film Pacific Abyss, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which funded expedition during which type was collected (note: does not inhabit depths commonly defined as “abyssal”)

Chromis albicauda Allen & Erdmann 2009    albus, white; cauda, tail, referring to diagnostic feature that separates it from the similar C. analis

Chromis albomaculata Kamohara 1960    albus, white; maculatus, spotted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to bases of scales, which are “paler” than the dark chocolate-brown body, creating a whitish spot-like pattern

Chromis alpha Randall 1988    alphos, white-spotted (as from leprosy), referring to pale spots on head and body; also refers to alpha, first letter of alphabet, referring to its designation as Chromis sp. “A” by Gerald R. Allen, who first diagnosed and illustrated this species in 1975

Chromis alta Greenfield & Woods 1980    deep, referring to its deepwater distribution (72-81 m) off Baja California, México

Chromis anadema Motomura, Nishiyama & Chiba 2017    hair band, referring to two black bands at its preopercular and opercular margins

Chromis analis (Cuvier 1830)    anal, referring to second anal-fin spine, “very strong and longer than the soft rays that follow it” (translation)

Chromis athena Allen & Erdmann 2008    named for the sailing yacht Athena, which served as the authors’ base of operations during cruise upon which this species was discovered

Chromis atripectoralis Welander & Schultz 1951    atria-, black; pectoralis, pectoral, referring to black axil of pectoral fin

Chromis axillaris (Bennett 1831)    axillary, presumably referring to black axil of pectoral fin

Chromis bami Randall & McCosker 1992    in honor of lawyer Foster Bam (b. 1927), “friend, photographer, and diving companion” (also former trustee of the California Academy of Sciences, where the junior author worked)

Chromis bermudae Nichols 1920    of Bermuda, where it appears to be endemic

Chromis bowesi Arango, Pinheiro, Rocha, Greene, Pyle, Copus, Shepherd & Rocha 2019    in honor of the late William K Bowes, Jr. (1926-2016), American venture capitalist and philanthropist, lead donor of California Academy of Sciences’ Hope for Reefs initiative (which helped finance Philippines expedition during which type, and those of C. gunting and C. hangganan, were collected); Bowes was “devoted to advancing science and generously supported groundbreaking research spanning across biotech, medical, and other scientific disciplines”

Chromis cadenati Whitley 1951    in honor of French ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908-1992), Director, Marine Biological Section of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Gorée, Senegal), who described this species in 1949 but used a preoccupied name (Chromis lineatus)

Chromis chromis (Linnaeus 1758)    a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise; later applied to this damselfish and subsequently expanded to embrace dottybacks, cichlids and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related)

Chromis chrysura (Bliss 1883)    chryso-, gold; oura, tailed, referring to yellow caudal fin (in spirits, white in life) with a broad dark margin

Chromis cinerascens (Cuvier 1830)    cinereus, ash-colored; –escens, becoming, i.e., grayish, presumably referring to its color, described as “pale greenish-gray” (translation)

Chromis circumaurea Pyle, Earle & Greene 2008    circum, around (i.e., around the body); aurea, golden, referring to golden-yellow anal fin, caudal fin, and outer margin of dorsal fin

Chromis crusma (Valenciennes 1833)    etymology not explained, perhaps latinization of the Greek krousma, a timbrel or tabor (type of small drum), allusion not evident (possibly referring to its ability to make noise?)

Chromis dasygenys (Fowler 1935)    dasys, shaggy or rough; genys, cheek, referring to “unevenly rough” edge of preopercle

Chromis degruyi Pyle, Earle & Greene 2008    in honor of underwater cinematographer Michael V. deGruy (1951-2012), for the “sincere enthusiasm and determination he demonstrated while attempting to collect the first adult specimen of this species”; he shot the documentary Pacific Abyss (see C. abyssus) during which type was collected [in 2012, deGruy and his producer were killed in a helicopter crash in New South Wales]

Chromis dispila Griffin 1923    di-, two; spilos, spot, referring to two white spots, one below the 10th and 11th dorsal-fin spines, the other below the posterior dorsal-fin rays

Chromis durvillei Quéro, Spitz & Vayne 2010    in honor of ichthyologist Patrick Durville, Saint-Gilles Aquarium, Reunion Island (type locality), co-author of a 2004 checklist of Reunion Island fishes, and who helped collect this species floating at the surface after a volcanic eruption in 2007

Chromis earina Pyle, Earle & Greene 2008    the color of spring, i.e., green, referring to its pale-green color in life

Chromis enchrysurus Jordan & Gilbert 1882    enchrysos, deep golden; oura, tail, referring to “very intense light yellow” caudal fin

Chromis flavapicis Randall 2001    flavus, yellow; apex (apicis), top, referring to yellow tips of interspinous membranes of dorsal fin, its most characteristic color marking

Chromis flavaxilla Randall 1994    flavus, yellow; axilla, axil, referring to bright-orange pectoral-fin axil, its most conspicuous color marking when pectoral fins are removed

Chromis flavicauda (Günther 1880)    flavus, yellow; cauda, tail, referring to yellow caudal fin

Chromis fumea (Tanaka 1917)    smoky, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to dark-brown color in formalin with black margins on dorsal, anal and caudal fins

Chromis gunting Arango, Pinheiro, Rocha, Greene, Pyle, Copus, Shepherd & Rocha 2019    Tagalog word for scissors, referring to scissor-like appearance of bilateral outermost black margins of caudal fin

Chromis hangganan Arango, Pinheiro, Rocha, Greene, Pyle, Copus, Shepherd & Rocha 2019    Tagalog word for border, referring to black margins of dorsal and anal fins

Chromis hypsilepis (Günther 1867)    hypsi-, high; lepis, scale, referring to each scale on middle of sides of body “twice as deep as long” compared to the allied C. notata

Chromis insolata (Cuvier 1830)    warmed in the sun, a latinization of its common name in Martinique, Chauffe-Soleil, referring to how it swims in the hollows of rocks exposed to the sun, and how it shows itself as soon as the sun appears

Chromis jubauna Moura 1995    from the Tupí-Guaraní (reflecting type locality off coast of São Paulo State, Brazil) words juba, yellow, and una, black, referring to its coloration in life: black body and anal and pelvic fins, yellow caudal fin, caudal peduncle, and upper ¾ of soft dorsal fin

Chromis katoi Iwatsubo & Motomura 2018    in honor of Shoichi Kato (b. 1957), Regulus Diving (Hachijo Island, Japan), who collected all type specimens and made them available to the authors, and who “kindly” provided photographs

Chromis kennensis Whitley 1964    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kenn Reef, Coral Sea, type locality

Chromis klunzingeri Whitley 1929    in honor of German physician and zoologist Carl Benjamin Klunzinger (1834-1914), who reported this species as C. hypsilepis in 1879

Chromis limbata (Valenciennes 1833)    edged or bordered, referring to black borders on caudal, dorsal and anal fins

Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods 1980    in honor of zoologist, diver and underwater photographer Conrad Limbaugh (1925-1960), who collected two small specimens and was the first to photograph this species underwater in 1954 [he died after losing his way while diving in the labyrinth of an underground river in France]

Chromis lubbocki Edwards 1986    in honor of the late Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981), marine biologist, leader of the Cambridge Expedition to Saint Paul’s Rocks (Cape Verde Archipelago, type locality), who collected type and recognized it as a new species [Lubbock died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday]

Chromis mamatapara Shepherd, Pinheiro, Phelps, Easton, Pérez-Matus & Rocha 2020    compound word meaning “yellow damselfish” (mamata para) in Rapanui (native language of Easter Island, where it is endemic), referring to overall body coloration in life

Chromis mirationis Tanaka 1917    wonder or astonishment, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “exceedingly larger eye” (translation)

Chromis monochroma Allen & Randall 2004    mono-, one; chroma, color, referring to its uniform brown coloration

Chromis nigroanalis Randall 1988    nigro-, black; analis, anal, referring to anal fin, which is ~75% black

Chromis nitida (Whitley 1928)    elegant, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its coloration, with a dark diagonal line running from eye to posterior end of dorsal fin and a yellowish-brown dorsal surface

Chromis norfolkensis Allen & Allen 2021    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Norfolk Island, southwestern Pacific Ocean, type locality

Chromis notata (Temminck & Schlegel 1843)    marked, presumably referring to large black spot at base of pectoral fins

Chromis okamurai Yamakawa & Randall 1989    in honor of Osamu Okamura, Professor of Zoology, Kochi University, who offered “kind advice” and loaned specimens

Chromis oligactis Prokofiev & Astakhov 2023    oligos, few; aktis, ray, referring to its “unusually low” number of pectoral-, soft-dorsal and soft-anal fins rays compared with Indo-Pacific congeners

Chromis onumai Senou & Kudo 2007    in honor of Hisashi Onuma, who discovered this species, helped collect paratypes, and provided “excellent” underwater photographs

Chromis opercularis (Günther 1867)    opercular, referring to large irregular black patch behind gill opening, with a similarly colored line along posterior margin of preoperculum

Chromis ovalis (Steindachner 1900)    oval, referring to its body shape

Chromis pamae Randall & McCosker 1992    in honor of McCosker’s wife, Pamela, a “slender specimen of comparable beauty”

Chromis pelloura Randall & Allen 1982    pellos, dark or dusky; oura, tail, referring to its dusky dorsal fin

Chromis pembae Smith 1960    of Pemba Island, off Tanzania, western Indian Ocean, type locality

Chromis planesi Lecchini & Williams 2004    in honor of coral-reef fish ecologist Serge Planes (b. 1966), Universite de Perpignan (France), who discovered and captured all specimens known at the time

Chromis punctipinnis (Cooper 1863)    punctum, spot; pinnis, fin, referring to densely spotted soft-dorsal and caudal fins

Chromis pura Allen & Randall 2004    named for Pura, Alor Islands, Indonesia, type locality and only known collection site

Chromis randalli Greenfield & Hensley 1970    in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected most of the type series, and has contributed greatly to the knowledge of Easter Island fishes

Chromis sahulensis Allen & Allen 2021    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sahul Shelf, a portion of the continental shelf lying off the northwestern coast of Australia, where it is endemic

Chromis sanctaehelenae Edwards 1987    of Saint Helena Island, South Atlantic Ocean, where it is endemic

Chromis scotochiloptera Fowler 1918    scotios, dark; chilos, edge or rim; pterus, fin, referring to dark-edged caudal and anal fins

Chromis scotti Emery 1968    in honor of William Beverly Scott (1917-2014), Curator of Ichthyology and Herpetology, Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada), who first introduced Emery to the study of fishes

Chromis struhsakeri Randall & Swerdloff 1973    in honor of Paul Struhsaker (1935-2018), National Marine Fisheries Service, who collected type during a survey for shrimps in the Hawaiian area and suspected it was an undescribed species

Chromis ternatensis (Bleeker 1856)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ternate, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (but occurs widely in the Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific)

Chromis tingting Tea, Gill & Senou 2019    in honor of the first author’s mother, for her “unconditional love, support and encouragement” [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Chromis torquata Allen 2018    adorned with a collar, referring to diagnostic dark band behind head

Chromis trialpha Allen & Randall 1981    tri-, three; alphus, white spot on skin, referring to white spots at bases of soft dorsal, soft anal and caudal fins

Chromis unipa Allen & Erdmann 2009    acronym for Universitas Negeri Papua (State University of Papua, Monokwari), which invited the authors to teach an ichthyology field course, leading to the discovery of this species; “The University has played a critical role in training young Papuans in the natural sciences, and it is our sincere hope that this work will inspire students and lecturers at the University to actively explore the unique natural laboratory of Cenderawasih Bay [type locality] at their doorstep”

Chromis vanbebberae McFarland, Baldwin, Robertson, Rocha & Tornabene 2020    in honor of Barbara Van Bebber, “one of the most accomplished submersible pilots in the Caribbean”; she was “one of several skilled pilots of the ‘Curasub’ that assisted DROP [the Smithsonian’s Deep Reef Observation Project] with observations and collections of many new species,” including this one

Chromis verater Jordan & Metz 1912    verus, true, used here as a superlative (i.e., very); ater, black, referring to its very dark chocolate-brown color in alcohol, with uniform black fins (except pectoral)

Chromis viridis (Cuvier 1830)    green, referring to its color, described as a “beautiful aquamarine green, fainter below, more blue on the back and caudal” (translation)

Chromis weberi Fowler & Bean 1928    in honor of Max Weber (1852-1937), the “distinguished zoologist of Amsterdam and author of extensive works on East Indian ichthyology”

Chromis westaustralis Allen 1976    –ensis, suffix denoting place: known only from Western Australia between Albany and Northwest Cape

Chromis woodsi Bruner & Arnam 1979    in honor of Loren P. Woods (1914-1979), Curator of Fishes, Chicago Natural History Museum, for his “pioneer work” on the family Pomacentridae and his contributions to our understanding of Indo-Pacific fishes

Chromis xanthochira (Bleeker 1851)    xanthos, yellow; cheiros, hand, referring to yellow axil of pectoral fin

Chromis xanthopterygia Randall & McCarthy 1988    xanthos, yellow; pterygion, small fin, referring to conspicuous yellow areas on median fins

Chromis xanthura (Bleeker 1854)    xanthos, yellow; oura, tail, referring to yellow on outer caudal-fin lobes of juveniles

Chromis xouthos Allen & Erdmann 2005    Greek for yellowish-brown, referring to its overall coloration=

Chromis yamakawai Iwatsubo & Motomura 2013    in honor of Takeshi Yamakawa (b. 1942), Kochi University (Japan), who first recognized this species as new and kindly made specimens available to the authors

Dascyllus Cuvier 1829    etymology unknown, presumably a latinization of daskilos, a name Aristotle applied to the Red Mullet (Mullus barbatus), later applied by Cuvier to damselfishes

Dascyllus abudafur (Forsskål 1775)    from Abu-dafur Jabûd, Arabic name for this species, probably a cognate with Abudefduf (see below)

Dascyllus albisella Gill 1862    albus, white; sella, saddle, referring to transverse white band descending half-way down from middle of back below dorsal fin

Dascyllus aruanus (Linnaeus 1758)    –anus, belonging to: Aru Islands, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (although no type specimens survive)

Dascyllus auripinnis Randall & Randall 2001    aureus, golden; pinnis, fin, referring to bright orange-yellow pelvic, anal and caudal fins

Dascyllus carneus Fischer 1885    flesh-colored, referring to “saturated flesh-colored or rose-red” color (translation)

Dascyllus flavicaudus Randall & Allen 1977    flavus, yellow; cauda, tail, referring to yellow caudal fin

Dascyllus marginatus (Rüppell 1829)    margined, referring to black margins on dorsal and anal fins

Dascyllus melanurus Bleeker 1854    melanos, black; oura, tail, referring to black area over posterior ⅔ of caudal fin

Dascyllus reticulatus (Richardson 1846)    net-like or netted, referring to a “well-defined pale yellowish-brown border to each scale, producing a net-work with acutely elliptical meshes”

Dascyllus strasburgi Klausewitz 1960    in honor of fish ecologist Donald W. Strasburg (1925-2008), University of Hawaii, who collected type

Dascyllus trimaculatus (Rüppell 1829)    tri-, three; maculatus, spotted, referring to three white blotches, one on each upper side of body and one on forehead, prominent in juveniles and subadults, absent or reduced in adults

Pycnochromis Fowler 1941    pycnos, compact, referring to “very smooth” head of P. vanderbilti, the “edges of the suborbitals, preopercle and opercle little distinct”; Chromis, a similar and closely related genus

Pycnochromis abruptus (Randall 2001)    abrupt, referring to very sharp demarcation between dark body and white caudal fin

Pycnochromis acares (Randall & Swerdloff 1973)    akares, small, up to 36.5 mm SL

Pycnochromis agilis (Smith 1960)    quick or nimble, allusion not explained but Smith described pomacentrids in general as “wary or timid” and difficult to catch without resorting to poison and explosives

Pycnochromis alleni (Randall, Ida & Moyer 1981)    in honor of ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for “noteworthy” contributions to our knowledge of the classification and biology of pomacentrid fishes

Pycnochromis amboinensis (Bleeker 1871)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Christmas and Cocos-Keeling Islands to Micronesia, and Western Australia and Queensland [Australia] to Yaeama Islands)

Pycnochromis atripes (Fowler & Bean 1928)    atria-, black; pes, foot, referring to black ventral fins

Pycnochromis caudalis (Randall 1988)    of the tail, referring to its very long caudal-fin filaments

Pycnochromis delta (Randall 1988)    fourth letter of alphabet, referring to its designation as Chromis sp. “D” by Gerald R. Allen in 1975

Pycnochromis dimidiatus (Klunzinger 1871)    halved or divided, referring to sharp contrast between anterior (dark brown) and posterior (yellowish) coloration

Pycnochromis fatuhivae (Randall 2001)    of Fatu Hiva, southernmost of the Marquesas Islands, only known area of occurrence

Pycnochromis fieldi (Randall & DiBattista 2013)    in honor of underwater photographer Richard Field, who first suspected that the Indian Ocean population of P. dimidiata might represent a different species; he provided photographs of P. dimidiata taken in the Red Sea in the vicinity of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that gave the authors the opportunity to note color variation, and collected four specimens of the new species from an area to the north

Pycnochromis flavipectoralis (Randall 1988)    flavus, yellow; pectoralis, pectoral, referring to bright-yellow spot at base and axil of pectoral fin

Pycnochromis hanui (Randall & Swerdloff 1973)    an ancient Hawaiian name for an unknown member of the damselfish family

Pycnochromis howsoni (Allen & Erdmann 2014)    in honor of long-time friend Craig Howson, owner of the “luxurious” Australian cruise ship True North, who provided the first author with numerous collecting and diving opportunities in the Australia-New Guinea region, resulting in the discovery of several new species, including this one

Pycnochromis iomelas (Jordan & Seale 1906)    io-, perhaps short for iodes, violet-like; melas, black, presumably referring to colors in life: deep brownish-black, “abruptly” becoming pale lavender behind, with pale lavender caudal fin and black ventral fins

Pycnochromis leucurus (Gilbert 1905)    leuco-, white; oura, tailed, referring to white caudal fin and posterior half of caudal peduncle

Pycnochromis lineatus (Fowler & Bean 1928)    lined, referring to 11 grayish longitudinal bands on sides, each bordered with brown lines

Pycnochromis margaritifer (Fowler 1946)    margarita, pearl; fero, to bear, i.e., pearly, referring to “pearly gray band on the infraorbitals, obscure pearly gray spots on cheeks, breast and lower sides and contrasted black base of the pectoral on its outer face with a pearly gray border”

Pycnochromis nigrurus (Smith 1960)    nigro-, black; oura, tailed, referring to black upper and lower edges of light-colored caudal fin

Pycnochromis ovatiformes (Fowler 1946)    ovatus, oval; forma, shape, referring to its “deeply ovoid contour”

Pycnochromis pacifica (Allen & Erdmann 2020)    a Pacific Ocean damselfish distinct from the Indian Ocean P. agilis, which had been considered a widespread Indo-Pacific species [per authors, name is a noun in apposition, therefore it does not decline]

Pycnochromis retrofasciatus (Weber 1913)    retro-, back; fasciata, banded, referring to chocolate-colored bar at posterior end of body and caudal-fin base

Pycnochromis vanderbilti Fowler 1941    in honor of yachtsman and explorer George W. Vanderbilt III (1914-1961), who organized 1940 Oahu (Hawaii) expedition during which type was collected; Fowler acknowledged Vanderbilt for his “industry” and “continued interest” in the development of the fish collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

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Subfamily GLYPHISODONTINAE
subfamily name derived from Glyphisodon Lacepède 1802, now a junior synonym of Abudefduf; glyphis, incised; odon, tooth, referring to deeply notched teeth of G. moucharra (=A. saxatilis)

Abudefduf Forsskål 1775    Abu-defduf, Arabic name for A. sordidus, from Abu, father (i.e., possessor, or one with), or abū, a prefix particle denoting “an animal having or being like”; def, side; –duf, an intensive plural ending, i.e., “the one with prominent sides,” presumably referring to dark crossbands on this and related species

Abudefduf abdominalis (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    abdominal, referring to its “très-saillant” (i.e., very prominent) belly

Abudefduf bengalensis (Bloch 1787)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bay of Bengal, India, type locality (but widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Pakistan and India to Andaman Sea, Papua New Guinea, Australia and Japan)

Abudefduf caudobimaculatus Okada & Ikeda 1939    caudo-, tail; bi-, two; maculatus, spotted, referring to two black spots at base of caudal fin

Abudefduf concolor (Gill 1862)    colored uniformly, referring to its “uniformly chocolate or purplish brown” color

Abudefduf conformis Randall & Earle 1999    like or similar, referring to similarity to A. vaigiensis

Abudefduf declivifrons (Gill 1862)    declivis, steep; frons, forehead, referring to its convex, very steep anterior profile, steepest from front of eye to margin of upper jaw

Abudefduf hoefleri (Steindachner 1881)    in honor of Steindacher’s “dear friend” (translation) W. Höfler (no other information available), who collected or provided type, and was one of Steindachner’s best suppliers of fishes from Africa

Abudefduf lorenzi Hensley & Allen 1977    in honor of Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989), for his contributions to the science of ethology

Abudefduf manikfani Jones & Kumaran 1970    in honor of Ali Manikfan (b. 1938), Central Marine Fisheries Institute of India, who collected type, for the extensive collections of fishes he has made from the Laccadive archipelago

Abudefduf margariteus (Cuvier 1830)    pearly, referring to the silvery middle of scales on the sides and belly

Abudefduf natalensis Hensley & Randall 1983    –ensis, suffix denoting place: the coast of Natal (now called KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa, type locality

Abudefduf nigrimargo Wibowo, Koeda, Muto & Motomura 2018    nigri-, black; margo, margin, referring to blackish-margined scales on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body

Abudefduf notatus (Day 1870)    marked, allusion not explained, presumably referring to white or pale bands crossing from back to abdomen and/or black spot at axil of pectoral fin

Abudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus 1758)    among rocks, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence among rocky reefs

Abudefduf septemfasciatus (Cuvier 1830)    septem, seven; fasciatus, banded, referring to dark vertical bands, six on body and one on head

Abudefduf sexfasciatus (Lacepède 1801)    sex, six; fasciatus, banded, referring to vertical four bands on sides, one at caudal peduncle, and a blotch on head

Abudefduf sordidus (Forsskål 1775)    dirty, presumably referring to its coloration, described as brownish-gray (“fusco-cinereus”)

Abudefduf sparoides (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    –oides, having the form of: “This fish looks a bit like spares [sea bream of the genus Sparus, Sparidae], as indicated by its name” (translation)

Abudefduf taurus (Müller & Troschel 1848)    bull, allusion not explained nor evident

Abudefduf troschelii (Gill 1862)    in honor of zoologist Franz Hermann Troschel (1810-1882), “who, by his annual reports on herpetology, ichthyology and malacology, as well as by the original memoirs published by him alone and in conjunction with the great [Johann] Müller, has much contributed to the advancement of those departments of science”

Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Pulau Waigeo (or Vaigiou), Papua Barat, Indonesia, type locality (but widely occurs in Red-Sea and Indo-West Pacific)

Abudefduf whitleyi Allen & Robertson 1974    in honor of Gilbert Percy Whitley (1903-1975), for his many contributions to Australian ichthyology

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Subfamily MICROSPATHODONTINAE

Hypsypops Gill 1861    hypso-, high; ops, eye, referring to its suborbital bones, “which are as high as long,” making the eyes sit high on the head

Hypsypops rubicundus (Girard 1854)    reddish, referring to its “uniform deep crimson” color throughout

Lepidozygus Günther 1862    etymology not explained, presumably lepido-, scale, referring to increased number of scales compared to Pomacentrus; zygos, yoke, allusion not evident

Lepidozygus tapeinosoma (Bleeker 1856)    tapeinos, lowly; soma, body, presumably referring to extremely elongate body compared to presumed congeners in Pomacentrus, which tend to be deeper-bodied

Mecaenichthys Whitley 1929    etymology not explained, perhaps me-, not and caenis, knife, referring to lack of preorbital spine, i.e., smooth; ichthys, fish

Mecaenichthys immaculatus (Ogilby 1885)    unspotted, apparently referring to its adult coloration, described as “pale olive-green above, silvery below, the sides with a bronzy wash,” with darker scales on the lateral line “giving an appearance of a faint band” (note: juveniles have a pronounced spot or ocellus at base of dorsal fin)

Microspathodon Günther    micro-, small; spathe, a broad blade (e.g., spatula, chisel); odon, tooth, allusion not explained, probably referring to small chisel-like teeth of M. chrysurus (Gerald R. Allen, pers. comm.)

Microspathodon bairdii (Gill 1862)    patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887), Director, U.S. National Museum (Smithsonian Institution), where type specimen is housed

Microspathodon chrysurus (Cuvier 1830)    chryso-, gold; oura, tail, referring to its “beautiful yellow” (translation) tail of adults

Microspathodon dorsalis (Gill 1862)    of the back, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to two blue spots on each side of the back

Microspathodon frontatus Emery 1970    with a forehead, referring to its higher forehead compared to the similar M. chrysurus, especially in older specimens

Nexilosus Heller & Snodgrass 1903    nexilis, tied together; –osus, adjectival suffix, referring to adnate suborbital

Nexilosus latifrons (Tschudi 1846)    latus, wide; frons, forehead, referring to its wide and slightly arched forehead

Parma Günther 1862    a small shield, probably referring to smooth opercles compared to serrated or denticulated opercles of Amphiprion, Dascyllus, Lepidozygus and Premnas

Parma alboscapularis Allen & Hoese 1975    albus, white; scapularis, of the shoulder, referring to white shoulder patch on live adults; the spot is “turned” on or off according to behavioral “moods” and is generally flashed while driving intruders away from their territory, especially among males during nest-guarding activities

Parma bicolor Allen & Larson 1979    bi-, two, i.e., two-colored, anterior body above pectoral fin and up to spinous part of dorsal fin blue to gray, rest of body bright yellow

Parma kermadecensis Allen 1987    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kermadec Islands, southwestern Pacific, where it is endemic

Parma mccullochi Whitley 1929    in honor of Whitley’s ichthyological colleague, the late Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885-1925), “who drew, whilst still in his teens, the accurate and beautiful figures of the allied Parma microlepis showing its variations with growth”

Parma microlepis Günther 1862    micro-, small; lepis, scale, presumably referring to smaller scales compared to species in Glyphisodon (=Abudefduf)

Parma occidentalis Allen & Hoese 1975    western, known only from Western Australia

Parma oligolepis Whitley 1929    oligo-, few; lepis, scale, referring to larger (and therefore fewer) scales compared to congeners known at the time

Parma polylepis Günther 1862    poly, many; lepis, scale, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to smaller (and therefore more numerous) scales compared to species in Glyphisodon (=Abudefduf)

Parma unifasciata (Steindachner 1867)    uni-, one; fasciata, banded, referring to prominent brown band (pale in alcohol) on each side extending from dorsal fin to abdomen

Parma victoriae (Günther 1863)    of Victoria, South Australia, type locality (also occurs in Tasmania and Western Australia)

Plectroglyphidodon Fowler & Ball 1924    plectro-, plaited, referring to lips of P. johnstonianus; Glyphidodon (unjustified emendation of Glyphisodon), an “old name” for Abudefduf, a closely related genus

Plectroglyphidodon altus (Okada & Ikeda 1937)    high, referring to longer body depth compared to the similar Stegastes planifrons

Plectroglyphidodon apicalis (De Vis 1885)    apex or point, allusion not explained nor evident

Plectroglyphidodon aureus (Fowler 1927)    gold, referring to “gallstone yellow” body coloration

Plectroglyphidodon dickii (Liénard 1839)    in honor of George F. Dick, President of the Natural History Society of Mauritius (which published description) and Colonial Secretary of Mauritius (type locality)

Plectroglyphidodon emeryi (Allen & Randall 1974)    in honor of marine biologist Alan R. Emery (b. 1939), who was studying the osteology of pomacentrids at the time

Plectroglyphidodon fasciolatus (Ogilby 1889)    banded, “each row of scales on the body and tail having its anterior half pale yellowish-brown, so as to form numerous bands slightly broader than the intervening ground color”

Plectroglyphidodon flaviventris Allen & Randall 1974    flavus, yellow; ventris, ventral, referring to yellow color on ventral region of living specimens

Plectroglyphidodon gascoynei (Whitley 1964)    of the H.M.A.S. Gascoyne, from which type was collected during a survey of islands in the Coral Sea

Plectroglyphidodon imparipennis (Vaillant & Sauvage 1875)    imparilis, odd or unequal; pennis, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to caudal fin, described as “barely bifurcated” (translation)

Plectroglyphidodon insularis (Allen & Emery 1985)    of islands, referring to its apparent restriction to islands (Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, and Marcus Island in the northwest Pacific), possibly relicts of a once-widespread species

Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus Fowler & Ball 1924    –ianus, belonging to: Johnston Island, Johnston Atoll, Central Pacific, type locality (but widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, Mozambique Channel, Aldabra and Mascarenes east to Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn Group, north to Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands and Japan, south to Western Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia and Rapa)

Plectroglyphidodon leucozona (Bleeker 1859)    leuco-, white; zona, band, referring to white vertical band on middle of body [often declined as an adjective, leucozonus, but Bleeker consistently used “zona” as a noun]

Plectroglyphidodon luteobrunneus (Smith 1960)    luteus, yellow; brunneus, brown; instead of describing color in text, Smith deferred to colored plate, which appears to show a brownish fish with a yellow margin on pectoral fin, an orangish posterior margin of dorsal fin, and an orangish caudal fin (another definition for luteus is muddy, perhaps referring to its brownish body)

Plectroglyphidodon marginatus (Jenkins 1901)    edged or bordered, referring to black margin of dorsal fin

Plectroglyphidodon obreptus (Whitley 1948)    fraudulent, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance with Pomacentrus jenkinsi (=P. fasciolatus)

Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis (Schultz 1943)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Phoenix Islands, western Pacific, type locality and “where it was taken in great numbers” (but widely occurs in coral reefs of the Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, Mozambique Channel, and western Mascarenes east to Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn Group, Christmas Island, Indonesia, north to Ryukyu Islands)

Plectroglyphidodon randalli Allen 1991    in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who “greatly motivated” Allen’s initial interest in coral reef fishes, and “generously gathered data, specimens and photographs on damselfishes on [Allen’s] behalf during his extensive travels”

Plectroglyphidodon sagmarius Randall & Earle 1999    of a saddle, referring to broad black saddle-like bar dorsally on caudal peduncle

Plectroglyphidodon sindonis (Jordan & Evermann 1903)     –is, genitive singular of: Michitaro Sindo, one of Jordan’s students at Stanford University, who discovered this species

Similiparma Hensley 1986    similis, like or resembling, referring to similarity to Parma

Similiparma hermani (Steindachner 1887)    in honor of Lieut. Herman (forename not given), who collected type from the shores of the Cape Verde Islands during his trip to the Congo

Similiparma lurida (Cuvier 1830)    pale yellow, dull red or ghastly, but described as “entirely black or blackish brown” (translation)

Stegastes Jenyns 1840    tector (i.e., roofer or tiler), allusion not explained, presumably referring to imbricate scales of S. imbricatus (see below)

Stegastes acapulcoensis (Fowler 1944)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Acapulco, México, type locality

Stegastes adustus (Troschel 1865)    swarthy, referring to brown coloration

Stegastes albifasciatus (Schlegel & Müller 1840)    albus, white; fasciatus, banded, referring to broad whitish bar sometimes present on sides below posterior half of spinous portion of dorsal fin

Stegastes arcifrons (Heller & Snodgrass 1903)    arcis, arc or bow; frons, forehead, referring to its “regularly arcuate” profile and convex forehead

Stegastes baldwini Allen & Woods 1980    in honor of ichthyologist Wayne J. Baldwin, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, who helped collect type

Stegastes beebei (Nichols 1924)    in honor of naturalist and explorer William Beebe (1877-1962), New York Zoological Society, for his “appreciation of the interest and beauty of a tropical reef and its brilliant fishes”

Stegastes diencaeus (Jordan & Rutter 1897)    etymology not explained, perhaps from dienekes, continuous or unbroken, allusion not evident

Stegastes flavilatus (Gill 1862)    flavus, yellow; latus, side, referring to yellowish-brown color below lateral line

Stegastes fuscus (Cuvier 1830)    dark or dusky, referring to its “uniform brown” coloration, with a “leaden hue at the edge of each scale” (translation)

Stegastes imbricatus Jenyns 1840    overlapping like roofing-tiles or shingles, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its scales (specifically those on the vertical fins), which indeed overlap, but this is not an unusual feature for pomacentrids and many other fish families (Gerald R. Allen, pers. comm.)

Stegastes lacrymatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    with tears, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the authors’ dedication of this species to the “memory of Mr. Vidal, a young naval surgeon, who died of yellow fever” (translation)

Stegastes leucorus (Gilbert 1892)    leukos, white; oros, margin, referring to white tips of anterior dorsal- and anal-fin rays

Stegastes leucostictus (Müller & Troschel 1848)    leukos, white; stictus, spot, referring to “numerous white dots, which are especially abundant beneath the dorsal and above the anal fin, where one is placed on each side”

Stegastes limbatus (Cuvier 1830)    edged or bordered, referring to broad black border at spined portion of dorsal fin

Stegastes lividus (Forster 1801)    black and blue, referring to its lead-colored body (“corpore plumbeo”)

Stegastes lubbocki Allen & Smith 1992    in honor of the late Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981), marine biologist, who collected type; “Although his professional life spanned relatively few years, Dr. Lubbock made numerous valuable contributions to the knowledge of reef fish taxonomy” [Lubbock died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday]

Stegastes nigricans (Lacepède 1802)    blackish, referring to its bluish-black body color (tan to dark brown in alcohol)

Stegastes otophorus (Poey 1860)    otos, ear; phorus, bearer, presumably referring to dark spot on opercle

Stegastes partitus (Poey 1868)    divided, presumably referring to its coloration, dark brown anteriorly, yellowish posteriorly

Stegastes pelicieri Allen & Emery 1985    in honor of Daniel Pelicier (1946-2018), aquarium fish collector and exporter in Flic en Flac (a village in Mauritius), who provided a boat, diving equipment, and collecting assistance during the senior author’s visit to Mauritius (type locality) in 1979

Stegastes pictus (Castelnau 1855)    painted, presumably referring to its color, described as being entirely black but with a lemon-yellow tail

Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier 1830)    planus, smooth; frons, forehead, referring to “nearly rectilinear” (translation) profile from snout to skull

Stegastes punctatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    spotted, referring to irregular blue-sky spots on forehead, operculum and body and/or large black spot, bordered in blue, at end of dorsal fin

Stegastes rectifraenum (Gill 1862)    rectis, straight; fraenum, bridle, presumably referring to “two blue lines diverging from the snout and passing over the eyes to each side of the dorsal”

Stegastes redemptus (Heller & Snodgrass 1903)    redemption, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “redemption” from the synonymy of S. flavilatus and S. rectifraenum

Stegastes rocasensis (Emery 1972)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: lagoon off Atol das Rocas, northern Brazil, type locality

Stegastes sanctaehelenae (Sauvage 1879)    of Saint Helena Island, South Atlantic, where it is endemic

Stegastes sanctipauli Lubbock & Edwards 1981    of St. Paul’s Rocks, eastern Atlantic, where it is endemic

Stegastes trindadensis Gasparini, Moura & Sazima 1999    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Trindade, Martin Vaz Islands, off southeastern Brazil, type locality

Stegastes uenfi Novelli, Nunan & Lima 2000    of UENF, Unive Estadual do Norte Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), a public university that encourages biological research (and where the first and third authors are affiliated)

Stegastes variabilis (Castelnau 1855)    variable, presumably referring to its colors, described as brown above (blue in life), becoming yellow towards the lower parts of the body, with a belly that is sometimes brown like the back

Stegastes xanthurus (Poey 1860)    xanthus, yellow; oura, tail, referring to orange caudal fin (lemon-yellow in juveniles, with a light yellow tint in adults)

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Subfamily POMACENTRINAE

Acanthochromis Gill 1863    acanthus, spine, presumably referring to 17 dorsal-fin spines; Chromis, presumably similar to and/or related to that genus

Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Bleeker 1855)    poly, many; acanthus, spine, referring to 17 dorsal-fin spines

Altrichthys Allen 1999    altrix, nourisher or wet-nurse, allusion not explained but almost certainly referring to how fry of A. azurelineatus apparently are nourished by nipping at the mucous coat of their parents; ichthys, fish

Altrichthys alelia Bernardi, Longo & Quiros 2017    derived from the combined names of Alessio and Amalia, the senior author’s children, who helped in the field

Altrichthys azurelineatus (Fowler & Bean 1928)    azurea, latinization of the French l’azure (blue); lineatus, lined, referring to a median vertical pale-blue or blue-gray curved line on each scale of the body, parallel with the scale’s edge, producing oblique parallel lines over most or all of its sides

Altrichthys curatus Allen 1999    to care for or guard, referring to how parents aggressively protect their offpsring

Amblyglyphidodon Bleeker 1877    amblys, blunt or obtuse, possibly referring to its “obtuse and rounded” anal fin, proposed as a subgenus of Glyphidodon (unjustified emendation of Glyphisodon [=Abudefduf)]

Amblyglyphidodon aureus (Cuvier 1830)    gold, referring to its uniform golden color in life (with a few violet tints)

Amblyglyphidodon batunaorum Allen 1995    in honor of Hanny and Ineke (misspelled Inneke by Allen) Batuna, owners of Manado Murex Resort, who provided accommodations, boat transport, and general logistic assistance during Allen’s visit to Manado Bay, Sulawesi (type locality) in 1994 [originally spelled batunai; since name honors more than one person, emendment is necessary]

Amblyglyphidodon curacao (Bloch 1787)    said to be from Curaçao Island, off Venezuela, but this is an error since it occurs in the Indo-West Pacific

Amblyglyphidodon flavilatus Allen & Randall 1981    flavus, yellow; latus, flank, referring to characteristic yellow area on posterior flanks

Amblyglyphidodon flavopurpureus Allen, Erdmann & Drew 2012    flavus, yellow; purpureus, purple, referring to predominant colors of adults, grayish-purple body with brilliant yellow-orange on caudal peduncle

Amblyglyphidodon indicus Allen & Randall 2002    Indian, referring to its geographical distribution, which is confined to the Indian Ocean and adjacent Red Sea

Amblyglyphidodon leucogaster (Bleeker 1847)    leukos, white; gaster, belly, referring to yellow ventral region in life, white or pale in alcohol

Amblyglyphidodon melanopterus Allen & Randall 2002    melanos, black; pteron, fin, referring to black caudal fin and soft portions of dorsal and anal fins

Amblyglyphidodon orbicularis (Hombron & Jacquinot 1853)    circular or disc-shaped, referring to its body shape

Amblyglyphidodon silolona Allen, Erdmann & Drew 2012    named for the luxury charter vessel Silolona, in recognition of owner Patti Seery’s generosity in providing opportunities for the authors to do field research in the East Indian region

Amblyglyphidodon ternatensis (Bleeker 1853)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ternate, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality

Amblypomacentrus Bleeker 1877   amblys, blunt, referring to short head of A. breviceps; Pomacentrus, presumed to be similar to and/or related to that genus

Amblypomacentrus annulatus (Peters 1855)    ringed, referring to blackish-brown crossbands or rings on golden-yellow body

Amblypomacentrus breviceps (Schlegel & Müller 1840)    brevis, short; ceps, head, referring to very short head and snout

Amblypomacentrus clarus Allen & Adrim 2000    clear or distinct, referring to its more vividly contrasted color pattern compared to A. breviceps

Amblypomacentrus kuiteri (Allen & Rajasuriya 1995)    in honor of Australian underwater photographer Rudolf “Rudie” Kuiter (b. 1943), who collected type, for his many “valuable” contributions to our knowledge of tropical reef fishes of the Australian-Indonesian region

Amblypomacentrus tricinctus (Allen & Randall 1974)    tri-, three; cinctus, girdle or belt, referring to three black bars, one on head passing through eye, one at anterior dorsal fin passing to region behind pelvic fins, and one at posterior dorsal fin extending onto rear half of anal fin

Amblypomacentrus vietnamicus Prokofiev 2004    –icus, belonging to: Che Island, South China Sea, off Viêt Nam, the first record of the genus from mainland Asia

Amphiprion Bloch & Schneider 1801    amphi-, around; prion, saw, referring to deeply serrated sub- and preoperculum

Amphiprion akallopisos Bleeker 1853    Greek for unadorned, i.e., similar to A. ephippium but lacking the vertical band (juveniles) or blotch (adults)

Amphiprion akindynos Allen 1972    Greek for safe or without danger, referring to its condition while residing within its anemone host

Amphiprion allardi Klausewitz 1970    in honor of Jacques Allard, aquarist and marine-fish collector in Kenya (type locality), who provided numerous subadult and adult specimens and supported Klausewitz’ visit to East Africa

Amphiprion barberi Allen, Drew & Kaufman 2008    in honor of Paul Barber, Boston University, for his “valuable” contributions to our understanding of genetic relationships of Indo-Pacific coral reef organisms

Amphiprion biaculeatus (Bloch 1790)    bi-, two; aculeatus, spined, referring to suborbital usually armed with two long spines

Amphiprion bicinctus Rüppell 1830    bi-, two; cinctus, girdle, referring to two white bars with black edges, one just behind head, the other from notch between spinous and soft dorsal fin to the abdomen

Amphiprion chagosensis Allen 1972    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence

Amphiprion chrysogaster Cuvier 1830    chrysos, gold; gaster, belly, referring to its breast a “beautiful golden yellow” (translation) in life (white in spirits)

Amphiprion chrysopterus Cuvier 1830    chrysos, gold; pterus, fin, referring to its “beautiful orange” (translation) fins, except for caudal, described as reddish gray (Cuvier’s description was based on a drawing; true life colors vary)

Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett 1830)    in honor of engraver John Clark, “who has not only done ample justice to, but laid the author under very great obligations to him for his able assistance” providing illustrations for Bennett’s book on the fishes found on the coast of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

Amphiprion ephippium (Bloch 1790)    saddle, referring to black saddle-like marking on upper posterior half of body of juveniles (becoming a larger blotch in adults)

Amphiprion frenatus Brevoort 1856    bridled, referring to “distinct bright ultramarine blue [usually white] stripe extend[ing] from the base of the first dorsal spine obliquely forwards under the eye, and over the preopercle, narrowing as it descends, and terminating near the throat”

Amphiprion fuscocaudatus Allen 1972    fuscus, dusky; caudatus, tailed, referring to its dusky caudal fin, “a valuable character in differentiating this species from its closest relatives”

Amphiprion latezonatus Waite 1900    latus, wide; zonatus, band, referring to its exceptionally wide midbody bar, nearly twice as wide as found on most congeners

Amphiprion latifasciatus Allen 1972    latus, wide; fasciatus, banded, referring to its wide midbody bar, “a useful character in distinguishing this species from its closest relatives”

Amphiprion leucokranos Allen 1973    leuco-, white; kranos, cap or helmet, referring to characteristic white stripe on forehead

Amphiprion mccullochi Whitley 1929    in honor of Whitley’s ichthyological colleague, the late Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885-1925), who collected type

Amphiprion melanopus Bleeker 1852    melanos, black; pous, foot, referring to blackish pelvic fins

Amphiprion nigripes Regan 1908    atri-, black; pes, foot, referring to its blackish ventral fins (anal fin is also blackish)

Amphiprion ocellaris Cuvier 1830    having an eye-like spot, referring to large, whitish ocellus on caudal fin; Günther (1862) reported that this mark had been produced by the chemical action of some fluid and was visible on only one side of the fin

Amphiprion omanensis Allen & Mee 1991    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Arabian Sea, coast of Oman, where it is endemic

Amphiprion pacificus Allen, Drew & Fenner 2010    –icus, belonging to: referring to its distribution in the Pacific Ocean

Amphiprion percula (Lacepède 1802)    –ula, diminutive ending: perca, perch, i.e., little perch, a manuscript name coined by Commerçon, allusion not explained (Lacepède used the vernacular name perchot, French for perch)

Amphiprion perideraion Bleeker 1855    necklace, referring to its “pearl-colored neckband” (translation), i.e., grayish to whitish bar behind eye extending from mid-dorsal region to lower margin of opercle

Amphiprion polymnus (Linnaeus 1758)    etymology not explained nor evident, perhaps referring in some way to Polymnia (poly, many; hymnos, praise), Greek muse of oratory and sacred music

Amphiprion rubrocinctus Richardson 1842    rubro-, red, referring to “vermilion-red” throat, breast, distal half of tail, and fins; cinctus, girdle or belt, referring to three white vertical bars on body (description based on a drawing, probably of a juvenile since adults have only one bar)

Amphiprion sandaracinos Allen 1972    sandarac, the orange-red sulfide of arsenic, referring to its bright-orange coloration

Amphiprion sebae Bleeker 1853    in honor of Albertus Seba (1665-1736), Dutch pharmacist, zoologist and natural history collector, who published a lavish series of illustrations depicting, in part, marine life of the Indo-Pacific, including this species, which “however imperfect, makes [it] perfectly well recognizable” (translation) [although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]

Amphiprion thiellei Burgess 1981    in honor of Mike Thielle, Reef Encounter, Hackensack, New Jersey (USA), an aquarium and pet-supply store, who donated an aquarium specimen to Burgess, which served as type

Amphiprion tricinctus Schultz & Welander 1953    tri-, three; cinctus, belt or girdle, referring to three (sometimes two) white bars on sides

Cheiloprion Weber 1913    cheilos, lip, referring to its thick lips; prion, saw, presumably referring to its finely serrated preopercle

Cheiloprion labiatus (Day 1877)    large-lipped, referring to its very large and thick lips, covered with papillae

Chrysiptera Swainson 1839    chrysos, gold; pterus, fin, presumably referring to yellow caudal fin and/or yellowish pectoral and ventral fins of Glyphisodon azureus (=C. cyanea)

Chrysiptera albata Allen & Bailey 2002    clothed in white, referring to its overall color, without distinguishing markings

Chrysiptera arnazae Allen, Erdmann & Barber 2010    in honor of the second author’s wife and “best friend,” Arnaz Mehta, “who has selflessly supported his extensive field time” in the Bird’s Head region (northern Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia), where this species occurs

Chrysiptera biocellata (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    bi-, two; ocellata, with eye-like spots, referring to large ocellus at dorsal-fin base on sides of juveniles (absent in adults)

Chrysiptera bleekeri (Fowler & Bean 1928)    in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878), author of the “most elaborate” “Memoire sur les Chromides marins ou Pomacentroides de l’inde Archipélagique” (1877)

Chrysiptera brownriggii (Bennett 1828)    patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Robert Brownrigg (1759-1833), army officer, colonial administrator, and Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), type locality

Chrysiptera burtjonesi Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2017    in honor of photographer and underwater guide “par excellence” Burt Jones (Sequim, Washington, USA); he and his partner Maurine Shimlock were pioneers for the promotion of dive tourism at the Solomon Islands (where this species appears to be endemic) and, more recently, “have been instrumental in the tremendous popularity of the West Papuan region by means of their excellent underwater guidebook to the area and creation of the highly informative Bird’s Head Seascape website (birdsheadseascape.com)”

Chrysiptera caeruleolineata (Allen 1973)    caeruleus, blue; lineata, lined, referring to distinctive blue stripe on upper back

Chrysiptera caesifrons Allen, Erdmann & Kurniasih 2015    caesius, blue-gray; frons, forehead or brow, referring to dark bluish (nearly black) to gray region encompassing snout, upper head and adjacent anterodorsal portion of body and spinous dorsal fin

Chrysiptera chrysocephala Manica, Pilcher & Oakley 2002    chryso, gold; cephalus, head, referring to characteristic yellow area on upper part of head

Chrysiptera cyanea (Quoy & Gaimard 1825)    blue, referring to its color, “l’azur le plus pur” (the purest azure)

Chrysiptera cymatilis Allen 1999    sea-colored or blue, referring to its brilliant deep-blue color in life

Chrysiptera ellenae Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015    in honor of behavioral scientist Ellen R. Gritz (Houston, Texas, USA), for her valued friendship, illustrious career in cancer prevention research, and generous support of the authors’ East Indian reef fish investigations

Chrysiptera flavipinnis (Allen & Robertson 1974)    flavus, yellow; pinnis, fin, referring to its “striking” yellow fins

Chrysiptera galba (Allen & Randall 1974)    yellow, referring to mostly pale-yellow color in alcohol

Chrysiptera giti Allen & Erdmann 2008    named for Giti Tire (Singapore) at the request of its Chairman, Enki Tan, and his wife, Cherie Nursalim, Vice Chairman of GITI Group, who have given “generously” to Conservation International’s Bird’s Head Seascape marine conservation initiative and successfully bid to support the conservation of this species at The Blue Auction, a black-tie charity auction in Monaco (20 Sept. 2007)

Chrysiptera glauca (Cuvier 1830)    hoary blue, presumably referring to its light- or gray-blue color, described by Cuvier as “brownish gray” (translation)

Chrysiptera hemicyanea (Weber 1913)    hemi-, partial; cyanea, dark blue, referring to its azure-blue head and sides (tail and lower portion of body is yellow)

Chrysiptera leucopoma (Cuvier 1830)    leukos, white; poma, lid or covering, referring to white operculum (with a small black spot at corner of membranous part)

Chrysiptera maurineae Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015    in honor of Maurine Shimlock, “our dear friend of many years, who has zealously promoted marine conservation of Cenderawasih Bay [type locality] and the surrounding Bird’s Head region by means of her excellent journalism and photography”

Chrysiptera niger (Allen 1975)    black, referring to its characteristic black coloration

Chrysiptera notialis (Allen 1975)    southern, the most southerly occurring species of Glyphidodontops (unneeded replacement name for Chrysiptera) and a common inhabitant of Lord Howe Island, the world’s most-southern coral reef

Chrysiptera oxycephala (Bleeker 1877)    oxy, sharp; cephalus, head, presumably referring to the “strongly oblique” (translation) profile from nape to snout

Chrysiptera papuensis Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Papua New Guinea, where it is endemic

Chrysiptera parasema (Fowler 1918)    Greek for streamer, referring to white caudal peduncle and caudal fin

Chrysiptera pricei Allen & Adrim 1992    in honor of David Price (b. 1959), naturalist, ecologist, linguist, translator and community development consultant, who helped collect type and provided accommodations and logistic assistance for the senior author during his visit to Irian Jaya (type locality)

Chrysiptera rapanui (Greenfield & Hensley 1970)    named for Rapa Nui (Easter Island), type locality (also occurs at Kermadec Islands and northern New Zealand)

Chrysiptera rex (Snyder 1909)    king, allusion not explained nor evident

Chrysiptera rollandi (Whitley 1961)    in honor of Jean Rolland (1933-2018), dedicated at the request of biologist René Catala, founder of Nouméa (now Lagoon) Aquarium, New Caledonia (type locality), who sent type to Whitley; Rolland, a welder, amateur naturalist, and volunteer in the early days of the Aquarium, was a friend who helped Catala “very much”

Chrysiptera sheila Randall 1994    in honor of Sheila McLeish, who, along with her husband Ian McLeish (Office of the Advisor for Conservation and the Environment of the Sultanate of Oman) helped collect some of the type series and provided logistical support [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Chrysiptera sinclairi Allen 1987    in honor of the late Nick Sinclair, technical officer at the Western Australian Museum, “a friend and loyal workmate who is greatly missed by all who knew him”

Chrysiptera springeri (Allen & Lubbock 1976)    in honor of ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), U.S. National Museum, who helped collect type along with other pomacentrids from the Molucca Islands

Chrysiptera starcki (Allen 1973)    in honor of marine biologist Walter A. Starck II, who first pointed out this species to Allen while diving at Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, type locality

Chrysiptera talboti (Allen 1975)    in honor of fisheries scientist Frank H. Talbot (b. 1930), Director, Australian Museum (Sydney), who collected type

Chrysiptera taupou (Jordan & Seale 1906)    local name for this species at Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa, type locality

Chrysiptera traceyi (Woods & Schultz 1960)    in honor of ocean geologist Joshua I. Tracey (1915-2004), U.S. Geological Survey

Chrysiptera unimaculata (Cuvier 1830)    uni-, one; maculata, spotted, referring to black spot at base of dorsal fin, towards its posterior edge

Chrysiptera uswanasi Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2018    in honor of Bupati Mohammad Uswanas, Regent of Fakfak in West Papua, for “tremendous foresight and leadership in creating large marine protected areas along the Fakfak coastline in order to protect its extraordinary marine biodiversity (including this species) and its fish stocks for the well-being of his constituent coastal communities”

Dischistodus Gill 1863    di-, two; schistos, divided; odus, tooth, allusion not explained (Gill says teeth are tri-, not bicuspid); Bleeker (1877) said Gill based name on a “misinterpretation of the dentition” D. fasciatus (type species)

Dischistodus chrysopoecilus (Schlegel & Müller 1840)    chrysos, gold; poecilus, varicolored, presumably referring to yellowish dorsal fin, caudal peduncle and fin, and yellow-tinted band around forehead, with faint lines of red, blue and yellow on a purplish body, purplish anal and ventral fin, and a green-yellow, dark purplish-lined spot (described as white in contemporary accounts) at middle of upper back

Dischistodus darwiniensis (Whitley 1928)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, type locality

Dischistodus fasciatus (Cuvier 1830)    banded, referring to 3-4 yellow vertical bars on sides

Dischistodus melanotus (Bleeker 1858)    melanos, black; notus, back, referring to dark-brown anterodorsal portion of body

Dischistodus perspicillatus (Cuvier 1830)    spectacled, referring to two “short white lines that go from one eye to the other” and/or a “longitudinal white line that goes under eye from the jaw to the end of the suborbital” (translation)

Dischistodus prosopotaenia (Bleeker 1852)    prosopos, face; taenia, band, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to thin blue streaks on face and forehead

Dischistodus pseudochrysopoecilus (Allen & Robertson 1974)    pseudo-, false, i.e., although this species may closely resemble D. chrysopoecilus, such an appearance is false

Hemiglyphidodon Bleeker 1877    hemi-, partial, proposed as a subgenus of Glyphidodon (an unjustified emendation of Glyphisodon [=Abudefduf])

Hemiglyphidodon plagiometopon (Bleeker 1852)    plagio, oblique; metopon, forehead, referring to its “very slanted profile” (translation)

Neoglyphidodon Allen 1991     neo-, new; glyphidodon, truncation of and replacement for Paraglyphidodon Bleeker 1877 when type species (oxycephalus) was moved to Chrysiptera [Glyphidodon is an unjustified emendation of Glyphisodon Lacepède 1802 (=Abudefduf), glyphis, incised; odon, tooth, referring to deeply notched teeth of Glyphisodon moucharra (=A. saxatilis)]

Neoglyphidodon bonang (Bleeker 1852)    local Malay name for this species (and other pomacentrids), as reported in Bleeker (1877)

Neoglyphidodon carlsoni (Allen 1975)    in honor of ichthyologist-aquarist Bruce Carlson, who collected type, provided detailed notes on habitat, and contributed many new pomacentrid records for the Fiji Islands

Neoglyphidodon crossi Allen 1991    in honor of Norbert J. Cross, Honorary Associate of the Western Australian Museum (Perth), where Allen works

Neoglyphidodon melas (Valenciennes 1830)    black, referring to its blackish-brown body and “even darker” (translation) fins

Neoglyphidodon mitratus Allen & Erdmann 2012    wearing a head band, referring to distinctive brown bars on head

Neoglyphidodon nigroris (Cuvier 1830)    niger, black; oris, mouth, referring to its black lips

Neoglyphidodon oxyodon (Bleeker 1858)    oxy, sharp; odon, tooth, referring to teeth on lower jaw “more pointed than blunt” (translation) compared to presumed congeners in Glyphisodon (=Abudefduf)

Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus (Ogilby 1889)    poly, many; acanthus, spine, referring to 14 dorsal-fin spines, exceeding the maximum (13) Ogilby knew about among its presumed congeners in Glyphisodon (=Abudefduf)

Neoglyphidodon thoracotaeniatus (Fowler & Bean 1928)    thoraco-, breast; taeniatus, banded, referring to 2-3 deep-chocolate brown or sienna transverse broad bands on thorax (and head)

Neopomacentrus Allen 1975    neo-, new, i.e., a new genus of Pomacentrus

Neopomacentrus aktites Allen, Moore & Allen 2017    Greek for shore dweller, referring to its relatively shallow-water habitat

Neopomacentrus anabatoides (Bleeker 1847)    –oides, having the form of: referring to its similarity to the anabantid Anabas scandens (=testudineus), a resemblance noted by local Malaysians, who call both species betokh

Neopomacentrus australicus Allen & Erdmann 2024    –icus (L.), belonging to: the Australian Plate (including southern New Guinea), where it occurs

Neopomacentrus aquadulcis Jenkins & Allen 2002    aqua-, water; dulcis, sweet, referring to its freshwater habitat

Neopomacentrus azysron (Bleeker 1877)    a-, without; zysron, etymology not explained, perhaps derived from xystron, rasp or file, but likely used by Bleeker to mean “saw,” referring to serrated anal-fin spine; Bleeker used the same descriptor three other times in fishes, clearly referring to serrations: the sawfish Pristis zijsron in 1851, the nemipterid Nemipterus zysron in 1856 (in which he said he derived the name from the “saw-like form of the lower pre-operculum” [translation]), and the cyprinid Puntioplites proctozystron in 1864 (which has a serrated anal-fin spine)

Neopomacentrus bankieri (Richardson 1846)    in honor of surgeon-naturalist R. A. Bankier, British Royal Navy, who provided type, which he acquired in Hong Kong (type locality)

Neopomacentrus cyanomos (Bleeker 1856)    cyano-, blue; omos, shoulder, referring to large violet-blue blotch on shoulder

Neopomacentrus filamentosus (Macleay 1882)    with filaments, referring to very elongate middle rays of soft dorsal and anal fins and perhaps also “much produced” lobes of caudal fin

Neopomacentrus flavicauda Fricke & Allen 2021   flavus, yellow; oura, tail, referring to characteristic yellow color of caudal fin [replacement name for N. xanthurus Allen & Randall 1981, secondary junior synonym of Dascyllus xanthurus Bleeker 1853; N. flavicauda Parenti 2021 was published earlier but appeared in an electronic journal without ZooBank registration and therefore is not available]

Neopomacentrus fuliginosus (Smith 1960)    painted black or sooty, presumably referring to “drab” coloration in life, with dark spots on scales

Neopomacentrus metallicus (Jordan & Seale 1906)    like metal, presumably referring to blue-black coloration and/or metallic sheen in life

Neopomacentrus miryae Dor & Allen 1977    in honor of the senior author’s late wife, Miry

Neopomacentrus nemurus (Bleeker 1857)    nema-, thread; oura, tail, referring to its “more or less thread-like” (translation) caudal-fin lobes

Neopomacentrus simulatus Allen & Erdmann 2024    Latin for copied or imitated, referring to its close similarity to N. violascens

Neopomacentrus sindensis (Day 1873)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sindh province of Pakistan, referring to type locality at Karachi

Neopomacentrus sororius Randall & Allen 2005    Latin for sisterly, referring to its close relationship to N. azysron

Neopomacentrus taeniurus (Bleeker 1856)    taenio-, band; oura, tail, presumably referring to black borders along upper and lower caudal-fin lobes

Neopomacentrus violascens (Bleeker 1848)    becoming violet, referring to its violetish body color in life (dark brown in alcohol)

Pomacentrus Lacepède 1802    poma, lid or cover; kentron, thorn or spine, referring to serrations and prickles along margins of opercular bones of P. pavo

Subgenus Pomacentrus

Pomacentrus adelus Allen 1991    dim or obscure, referring to its non-descript color pattern, particularly in preserved specimens

Pomacentrus agassizii Bliss 1883    patronym not identified; probably in honor of Bliss’ professor, zoologist-geologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), or his son and successor, Alexander Agassiz (1835-1910), Director, Museum of Comparative Zoology (Harvard)

Pomacentrus albiaxillaris Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2017    albus, white; axillaris, armpit or axil, referring to diagnostic white color of pectoral-fin axil

Pomacentrus albicaudatus Baschieri-Salvadori 1955    albus, white; caudatus, tailed, referring to white blotch on anterior portion of caudal fin

Pomacentrus albimaculus Allen 1975    albus, white; macula, spot, referring to characteristic white spot on upper caudal peduncle

Pomacentrus alexanderae Evermann & Seale 1907    in honor of philanthropist Anne (also known as Annie) M. Alexander (1867-1950, Oakland, California, USA), for her “interest and work in zoology”

Pomacentrus alleni Burgess 1981    in honor of ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for numerous contributions to pomacentrid systematics (he also collected type)

Pomacentrus amboinensis Bleeker 1868    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Andaman Islands to Micronesia and New Caledonia, and Australia north to Ryukyu and Ogasawara islands of Japan)

Pomacentrus andamanensis Allen, Erdmann & Ningsih 2020    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence

Pomacentrus aquilus Allen & Randall 1981    dark-colored, referring to overall coloration of adults, particularly of Red Sea and Persian Gulf specimens

Pomacentrus arabicus Allen 1991    Arabian, referring to Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, type locality

Pomacentrus atriaxillaris Allen 2002    ater, black; axillaris, of an angle, referring to characteristic black pectoral-fin axil

Pomacentrus aurifrons Allen 2004    aureus, golden; frons, forehead, referring to broad zone of yellow encompassing snout, forehead, and base of anterior dorsal-fin spines

Pomacentrus auriventris Allen 1991    aureus, golden; ventris, belly, referring to yellow lower half of body

Pomacentrus australis Allen & Robertson 1974    southern, referring to its southern distribution, i.e., not collected outside of Australian waters

Pomacentrus azuremaculatus Allen 1991    latinization of the French l’azure (blue); maculatus, spotted, referring to blue spots presents on head and anterior part of back on living specimens

Pomacentrus baenschi Allen 1991    in honor of publisher and friend Hans A. Baensch (1941-2016), for his interest in Allen’s ichthyological research and for making the publication of the book in which this species’ description appeared possible

Pomacentrus bangladeshius Habib, Islam, Nahar & Neogi 2020    –ius, belonging to: Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh, only known area of occurrence

Pomacentrus bankanensis Bleeker 1854    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bangka, Indonesia, type locality (but occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Christmas Island and South China Sea to Fiji and Australia north to Ryukyu Islands)

Pomacentrus bellipictus Allen, Erdmann & Hidayat 2018    bellax, warlike; pictus, painted, referring to blue markings around mouth and belligerent behavior towards divers

Pomacentrus bintanensis Allen 1999    –ensis, suffix denoting place: off Point Bintan, north coast of Bintan Island, Riau Islands, Indonesia, type locality

Pomacentrus bipunctatus Allen & Randall 2004    bi-, two; punctatus, spotted, referring to pair of dark spots on upper operculum and upper pectoral-fin base, its most distinctive marking and a feature lacking in other pomacentrids from the Marshall and eastern Caroline Islands

Pomacentrus brachialis Cuvier 1830    –alis, pertaining to: brachium, arm, referring to black spot on outer base of pectoral fin

Pomacentrus burroughi Fowler 1918    in honor of Marmaduke Burrough (1797-1844), physician and ambassador, who obtained fishes (presumably including type of this one) from Manila, Philippines, which found their way to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (where Fowler worked)

Pomacentrus caeruleopunctatus Allen 2002    caeruleus, sky-blue; punctatus, spotted, referring to characteristic blue spots on body scales

Pomacentrus caeruleus Quoy & Gaimard 1825    blue, the “entire body of this fish reflects a beautiful blue ultramarine color” (translation)

Pomacentrus callainus Randall 2002    blue-green, referring to its color in life

Pomacentrus cheraphilus Allen, Erdmann & Hilomen 2011    cheras, silt; philos, fond of, referring to its “predilection for silty habitats”

Pomacentrus chrysurus Cuvier 1830    chryso-, gold; oura, tail; described from a brown preserved specimen presumed to have a yellow tail in life (it’s white)

Pomacentrus coelestis Jordan & Starks 1901    of the sky, presumably referring to “cobalt blue” back and sides above pectoral fin

Pomacentrus colini Allen 1991    in honor of coral-reef biologist Patrick L. Colin (b. 1946), who collected type

Pomacentrus cuneatus Allen 1991    wedge-shaped, referring to characteristic wedge-shaped dark-brown mark on pectoral-fin base

Pomacentrus emarginatus Cuvier 1829    notched or indented, referring to indented appearance of its deeply serrated suborbital

Pomacentrus fakfakensis Allen & Erdmann 2009    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Fakfak Peninsula of western New Guinea, only known area of occurrence

Pomacentrus flavioculus Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2017    flavus, yellow; oculus, eye, referring to diagnostic yellow ring that encircles pupil

Pomacentrus flavoaxillaris Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2017    flavus, yellow; axillaris, armpit or axil, referring to diagnostic yellow color of inner pectoral-fin axil

Pomacentrus geminospilus Allen 1993    gemino, double; spilos, spot or mark, referring to ocelli (eyespot) at posterior portion of dorsal fin of juveniles

Pomacentrus grammorhynchus Fowler 1918    gramma, line; rhynchos, snout, referring to dusky line from snout tip to eye

Pomacentrus imitator (Whitley 1964)    mimic, presumed to be a mimic of Lepicephalochromis westalli (=Chromis chrysura)

Pomacentrus indicus Allen 1991    Indian, referring to distribution in Indian Ocean

Pomacentrus javanicus Allen 1991    Javanese, referring to Java Sea, western Pacific, only known area of occurrence

Pomacentrus komodoensis Allen 1999    –ensis, Komodo Island, Indonesia, type locality

Pomacentrus lepidogenys Fowler & Bean 1928    lepido-, scaled; genys, cheek, referring to scaly preorbital and suborbital

Pomacentrus leptus Allen & Randall 1981    slender, referring to its compressed body, “relatively elongate for the genus”

Pomacentrus limosus Allen 1992    muddy, referring to silty nature of its habitat

Pomacentrus littoralis Cuvier 1830    of the seashore, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its inshore habitat of rock, rubble or coral reefs

Pomacentrus maafu Allen & Drew 2012    named for Enele Ma’afu’out’itonga, commonly known as Ma’afu (1826-1881), a Tongan prince and warrior who, at age 22, migrated to the Lau Group of Fiji and eventually became leader of the resident Tongan community and Fijian Chief; he was a “man of two kingdoms and as such his influence reflects the geographic distribution” of this species, which occurs in both Fiji and Tonga [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Pomacentrus magniseptus Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2017    magnis, great; septum, wall or barrier, referring to its distribution in the Great Barrier Reef

Pomacentrus mandacani Allen, Erdmann & Utama 2024    in honor of Dominggus Mandacan (b. 1959), former Governor (2017–2022) of West Papua Province in Indonesia, “who has shown exceptional vision and leadership in declaring West Papua the world’s first Conservation Province and committing to the protection of 70% of the region’s forests and 50% of its marine ecosystems, including Cendrawasih Bay where this new species is exclusively found”

Pomacentrus melanochir Bleeker 1877    melanos, black; cheiros, hand, referring to large brown or dark spot at base of pectoral fin

Pomacentrus micronesicus Liu, Ho & Dai 2014    –icus, belonging to: Micronesia, the “predominant area” where it is found

Pomacentrus microspilus Allen & Randall 2005    micro-, small; spilos, spot, referring to small but distinctive marking near rear base of dorsal fin of adults

Pomacentrus milleri Taylor 1964    in honor of ichthyologist Robert Rush Miller (1916-2003), University of Michigan, who collected type in 1948

Pomacentrus moluccensis Bleeker 1853    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Andaman Sea to Great Barrier Reef, and from New Caledonia and Micronesia north to Ryukyu Islands)

Pomacentrus nagasakiensis Tanaka 1917    –ensis, suffix denoting place: fish market in Nagasaki, Japan, where type was acquired

Pomacentrus nigriradiatus Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2017    nigro-, black; radiatus, rayed, referring to diagnostic dark rays on posterior sections of median fins

Pomacentrus nigromanus Weber 1913    nigro-, black; manus, hand, referring to large black spot at base of pectoral fins

Pomacentrus nigromarginatus Allen 1973    nigro-, black; marginatus, margined, referring to characteristic black margin on dorsal and caudal fins

Pomacentrus novaeguineae Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2023    of New Guinea, its main area of occurrence, especially from its northern side and western extremity, where coral reefs are well developed [name proposed in 2022 but not made available until 2023]

Pomacentrus opisthostigma Fowler 1918    opisto-, behind; stigma, mark, referring to large black ocellus at posterior end of soft dorsal fin

Pomacentrus pavo (Bloch 1787)    peacock, referring to its ornate coloration, which reminded Bloch of the Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus

Pomacentrus philippinus Evermann & Seale 1907    Filipino, referring to type locality, Bacon, Sorsogon, Philippines (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Maldives and Andaman Sea to Solomon Islands, Australia, north to Ryukyu Islands)

Pomacentrus pikei Bliss 1883    in honor of Nicholas Pike (1817-1905), U.S. Consulate, Port Louis, Mauritiana, who provided Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology with a “large and valuable” collection of fishes from Mauritius, including type of this one

Pomacentrus polyspinus Allen 1991    poly, many; spinus, spine, referring to more dorsal-fin spines compared to the similar P. adelus

Pomacentrus proteus Allen 1991    Proteus, a god of sea in Greek mythology who could change its form, referring to this damselfish’s dramatic color change from juvenile to adult

Pomacentrus reidi Fowler & Bean 1928    in honor of Earl D. Reid (1885-1960), Senior Scientific Aid, Division of Fishes, United States National Museum (later Assistant Curator of Fishes)

Pomacentrus rodriguesensis Allen & Wright 2003    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Rodrigues Island, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean, where it is endemic

Pomacentrus saksonoi Allen 1995    in honor of Anton Saksono, owner of the Palau Putri Resort (Seribu Islands, Indonesia), who graciously provided accommodation, boat transport, and logistics assistance, without which type would not have been collected

Pomacentrus similis Allen 1991    similar, referring to its similarity to P. coelestis

Pomacentrus simsiang Bleeker 1856    from Ikan Simsiang, local name in Jakarta (formerly Batavia), Indonesia (ikan=fish)

Pomacentrus smithi Fowler & Bean 1928    in honor of Hugh M. Smith (1865-1941), in “slight appreciation” of his interest in Philippine ichthyology

Pomacentrus spilotoceps Randall 2002    spilotos, spotted; ceps, head, referring to orange or yellow spots on head, its most characteristic markings

Pomacentrus stigma Fowler & Bean 1928    mark or spot, referring to conspicuous black blotch on posterior rays of anal fin

Pomacentrus sulfureus Klunzinger 1871    sulfer-colored, referring to bright yellow coloration in life

Pomacentrus taeniometopon Bleeker 1852    taenio-, band; metopon, forehead, referring two narrow blue bands that run from snout, over forehead, to back end of dorsal fin

Pomacentrus trichrourus Günther 1867    etymology not explained, presumably tri-, three; chro[ma], color; oura, tail, referring to bright yellow caudal fin with a broad grayish margin and a blackish base [spelled trichourus in text and trichrourus on plate; Günther, acting as first reviser, selected the latter]

Pomacentrus trilineatus Cuvier 1830    tri-, three; lineatus, lined, referring to three (sometimes 4-5) blue vertical lines on forehead, the outer of which continue on to nape and sometimes along base of dorsal fin

Pomacentrus tripunctatus Cuvier 1830    tri-, three; punctatus, spotted, referring to black spot on top of operculum, a fainter spot on soft portion of dorsal fin, and a black spot on caudal peduncle

Pomacentrus umbratilus Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2023    Latin for “of the shade,” referring to its habit of sheltering in the shady recesses of the reef, especially under ledges [name proposed in 2022 but not made available until 2023]

Pomacentrus vaiuli Jordan & Seale 1906    local name for this species at Aopia, Samoa, meaning blue water, presumably referring to its brilliant deep-blue coloration (but life colors vary from purplish to golden brown)

Pomacentrus variegatus Allen, Erdmann & Utama 2024    Latin for “of different sorts,” particularly colors, referring to its “highly” variable coloration depending on growth stage and location

Pomacentrus vatosoa Frable & Tea 2019    compound Malagasy word meaning ‘‘beautiful stone,” referring to opalescent or pearlescent qualities in life

Pomacentrus wardi Whitley 1927    in honor of actor, naturalist and marine collector Charles Melbourne Ward (1903-1966), who collected type

Pomacentrus xanthocercus Allen, Erdmann & Pertiwi 2023    xanthus, yellow; cercus, tail, referring to bright-yellow caudal fin with yellow hue extending forward onto caudal peduncle [name proposed in 2022 but not made available until 2023]

Pomacentrus xanthosternus Allen 1991    xanthus, yellow; sternus, breast, referring to yellowish breast and lower part of head in life (tan in alcohol)

Pomacentrus yoshii Allen & Randall 2004    in honor of divemaster Satoshi Yoshii, who provided logistic arrangements for the collection of many of the type specimens [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Pomachromis Allen & Randall 1974    combination of Pomacentrus and Chromis, referring to how this genus demonstrates a “blend of characters” from both

Pomachromis exilis (Allen & Emery 1973)    slender or thin, referring to its relatively slender body shape

Pomachromis fuscidorsalis Allen & Randall 1974    fuscus, dark; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to dark coloration of upper back

Pomachromis guamensis Allen & Larson 1975    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Guam, Mariana Islands, only known area of occurrence

Pomachromis richardsoni (Snyder 1909)    in honor of ichthyologist Robert Earl Richardson (1877-1935)

Pristotis Rüppell 1838    pristis, saw; otis, ear, referring to serrate margins of preopercle and subopercle

Pristotis cyanostigma Rüppell 1838    cyano-, blue; stigma, mark or spot, referring to greenish body dotted with blue spots

Pristotis obtusirostris (Günther 1862)    obtusus, blunt; rostris, snout, referring to its obtuse snout, “much shorter than the diameter of the orbit”                                    

Teixeirichthys Smith 1953    in honor of Gabriel M. Teixeira (1897-1973), Governor-General of Mozambique (type locality of T. mossambicus, =jordani), “who has for many years generously assisted [Smith’s] researches in his territories, and whose administration has had a profound effect on the development of the country under his charge”; ichthys, fish

Teixeirichthys jordani (Rutter 1897)    in honor of Rutter’s ichthyology professor, David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), who placed a collection of fishes from Swatow, China, including type of this one, into Rutter’s hands for study