AZURINA LEPIDOLEPIS - (BLEEKER, 1876)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Blenniiformes (Order) > Pomacentridae (Family) > Chrominae (Subfamily) > Azurina (Genus)
Chromis à nombreuses écailles, Bruin chromis, Brown chromis, Scaly chromis, Scaly puller, Blacktip chromis, Sasa-suzumedai, ササスズメダイ, 細鱗光鰓魚, 細鱗光鰓雀鯛,
Synonymes
Chromis lepidolepis (Bleeker, 1876)
Dascyllus caudofasciatus (Montalban, 1928)
Dascyllus pomacentroides (Kendall & Goldsborough, 1911)
Lepidochromis brunneus (Smith, 1960)
------------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-13; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 11-12. Head: 3.1-3.2. Eye: 2.2-2.7, greater than snout or than broadly convex interorbital space. Mouth oblique. Maxillary reaching to below pupil or not so far. Teeth biserial, outer tow enlarged, especially in front of jaws. Preorbital and suburbia! scaly, the scales on suborbital covering its lower edge. Two transverse rows of scales on preopercle and one an inferior limb. Posterior limb naked. Hindborder of preopercle rugose. Scales on upper part of head reaching to between nostrils. Scales of body each with about 3 basal auxillary scales. the median largest. The four anterior dorsal spines somewhat shorter than the following, which are subequal and about as long as suborbital part of head. Soft dorsal rounded, higher than spinous part. Second anal spine: 1.3-1.5 in head. Soft anal similar to soft dorsal. Pectorals slightly shorter than head. Ventrals with the first ray produced, slightly longer than head. Caudal deeply forked, the lobes pointed. Max length: 9.0 cm TL. Depth range: 2 - 43 m.
Color
Brown, paler to whitish on under surface of head and abdomen. Fins all dull brown, spinous dorsal and front of anal little deeper. Upper and lower edges of caudal broadly deep brown. Pectorals pale. Ventrals little deeper brown at tips. It has a white eye with a vertical black bar.
Etymology
Azurina: latinization of the French word, l’azur = blue. Referring to “deep steel blue” color on upper body of Azurina hirundo.
lepidolepis: from Latin word, lepido = scale + from Latin, lepis = a scale of a fish. Referring to scales of nape and back with small basal auxiliary scales.
Original description: Chromis lepidolepis Bleeker, 1876 - Type locality: Kupang, western Timor, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia, Timor Sea, eastern Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Comoros, Madagascar and Mauritius (Mascarenes) east to Marshall Islands, Line Islands, Fiji and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, Queensland (Australia) and New Caledonia.
Biology
Adults occur in coral-rich areas of lagoon and seaward reefs. Aggregate close to shelter. Feed on zooplankton. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding. Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs.
Similar species
Chromis à nombreuses écailles, Bruin chromis, Brown chromis, Scaly chromis, Scaly puller, Blacktip chromis, Sasa-suzumedai, ササスズメダイ, 細鱗光鰓魚, 細鱗光鰓雀鯛,
Synonymes
Chromis lepidolepis (Bleeker, 1876)
Dascyllus caudofasciatus (Montalban, 1928)
Dascyllus pomacentroides (Kendall & Goldsborough, 1911)
Lepidochromis brunneus (Smith, 1960)
------------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-13; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 11-12. Head: 3.1-3.2. Eye: 2.2-2.7, greater than snout or than broadly convex interorbital space. Mouth oblique. Maxillary reaching to below pupil or not so far. Teeth biserial, outer tow enlarged, especially in front of jaws. Preorbital and suburbia! scaly, the scales on suborbital covering its lower edge. Two transverse rows of scales on preopercle and one an inferior limb. Posterior limb naked. Hindborder of preopercle rugose. Scales on upper part of head reaching to between nostrils. Scales of body each with about 3 basal auxillary scales. the median largest. The four anterior dorsal spines somewhat shorter than the following, which are subequal and about as long as suborbital part of head. Soft dorsal rounded, higher than spinous part. Second anal spine: 1.3-1.5 in head. Soft anal similar to soft dorsal. Pectorals slightly shorter than head. Ventrals with the first ray produced, slightly longer than head. Caudal deeply forked, the lobes pointed. Max length: 9.0 cm TL. Depth range: 2 - 43 m.
Color
Brown, paler to whitish on under surface of head and abdomen. Fins all dull brown, spinous dorsal and front of anal little deeper. Upper and lower edges of caudal broadly deep brown. Pectorals pale. Ventrals little deeper brown at tips. It has a white eye with a vertical black bar.
Etymology
Azurina: latinization of the French word, l’azur = blue. Referring to “deep steel blue” color on upper body of Azurina hirundo.
lepidolepis: from Latin word, lepido = scale + from Latin, lepis = a scale of a fish. Referring to scales of nape and back with small basal auxiliary scales.
Original description: Chromis lepidolepis Bleeker, 1876 - Type locality: Kupang, western Timor, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia, Timor Sea, eastern Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Comoros, Madagascar and Mauritius (Mascarenes) east to Marshall Islands, Line Islands, Fiji and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, Queensland (Australia) and New Caledonia.
Biology
Adults occur in coral-rich areas of lagoon and seaward reefs. Aggregate close to shelter. Feed on zooplankton. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding. Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs.
Similar species
Azurina lepidolepis looks similar in appearance to several other species. A good system to distinguish between these species is to look carefully at the spots on the fins and at the color of the eye.
- Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Bleeker, 1855) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Best distinguished by 17 dorsal spines, highest number in the family. This fish has a number of color variants, and ranges from whitish to all brown or dark grey, sometimes with a white tail.
- Azurina elerae (Fowler & Bean, 1928) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Chromis ternatensis (Bleeker, 1856) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Chromis weberi (Fowler & Bean, 1928) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Pycnochromis amboinensis (Bleeker, 1871) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Pycnochromis atripes (Fowler & Bean, 1928) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
Last update: 16, September 2021