Species 1

Common name: Juvenile three spot damselfish

Scientific name: Stegastes planifrons

Description: A coral reef-dweller, this small fish is brightly colored yellow with an extra black spot, differing greatly from the much darker and dim colored adult. They are herbivores, often grazing on algae out of their own algal gardens which they tend and build up over time. The three spot damselfish is known to be aggressive and territorial biting even divers who venture too close. Groupers and jacks feed on these fish.

Fun Facts:

a. The threespot damselfish bites living coral to kill them and then fill the empty skeleton with their algae gardens. Meanwhile the rest of the living coral grows vertically creating “coral chimneys”!

b. To protect their living space, especially the algal garden, a threespot damselfish will go as far as carrying a sea urchin by its spines to move it away from its food!

Species 2

Common name: Azure vase sponge

Scientific name: Callyspongia plicifer

Description: Similarly shaped to a vase, this species of sponges grows up to 27 cm tall and about 13.5 cm in diameter. They can appear pink to purple and can fluoresce light blue. Like all sponges they filter feed and are generally solitary organisms. These sponges prefer to grow along a hard surface such as a wall on a reef.

Fun Facts: This sponge can serve as a place of protection for reef inhabitants such as the graysby fish!