Yellowspot Puller, Chromis kennensis Whitley 1964


Other Names: Yellow-spotted Chromis, Yellow-tail Puller

A Yellowspot Puller, Chromis kennensis, at South Solitary Island, New South Wales, July 2016. Source: divercraig / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A pale greenish-grey puller becoming yellowish on the caudal peduncle and tail, a prominent black blotch covering the entire pectoral-fin base at all sizes, a black anal fin with a pale leading edge, and a broad black submarginal band on the spinous dorsal. Juveniles are blue with a yellow tail and a black anal fin.  The Yellowspot Puller lacks a white spot on the body at the rear of the dorsal-fin.

In Australia, this species was previously known as Chromis flavomaculata

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Chromis kennensis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2315

Yellowspot Puller, Chromis kennensis Whitley 1964

More Info


Distribution

Southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to at least Jervis Bay, with juveniles south to Montague Island, New South Wales; also the Lord Howe Province and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical and temperate, southwest Pacific - Coral Sea, Lord Howe Island region, northern New Zealand, New Caledonia and Tonga.
Inhabits coral and rocky reefs, forming small schools to large aggregations in lagoons and sloping outer reefs, including around boulders and lava cliffs.

Features

Dorsal fin XIII,11-13; Anal fin  II,10-12; Pectoral fin 17-21; Caudal fin (principal rays) 15, (spiniform rays 2); Scale rows in longitudinal series 24-27; Lateral line scales (pored) 15-19; Scale rows above lateral line 3; Scale rows below lateral line 9-10; Gill rakers 7-9 +21-25 = 29-34.
Preopercular margin smooth; caudal fin deeply forked, without prolonged filaments; basal width of pelvic fin axillary scale 0.6-1.8% of SL; basal width of scale between pelvic-fin bases 2.0-2.8% of SL; prominent black blotch covering entire pectoral-fin base throughout life; no white spot at end of dorsal-fin base; caudal peduncle without distinct markings; caudal fin yellowish with no dark band along each fin lobe (Iwatsubo & Motomura 2013).

Colour

A prominent black blotch covering entire pectoral-fin base throughout life; no white spot at end of dorsal-fin base; caudal peduncle without distinct markings; caudal fin yellowish with no dark band along each fin lobe.

Feeding

Feeds on zooplankton in the water column.

Remarks

In Australia, this species was previously known as Chromis flavomaculata. Iwatsubo & Motomura (2013) determined that C. flavomaculata was a junior synonym of C. notata (from NW Pacific), and that C. kennensis Whitley 1964 (described from Kenn Reef in the Coral Sea) is the correct name for the Yellowspot Puller in Australia.

Similar Species

Chromis kennensis is most similar to C. yamakawai, a species found in southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Philippines.

Etymology

The species is named kennensis for the type locality, Kenn Reef in the Coral Sea.

Species Citation

Chromis kennensis Whitley 1964, Rec. Aust. Mus. 26(5): 182, Fig. 12. Type locality: Kenn Reef, Coral Sea.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Yellowspot Puller, Chromis kennensis Whitley 1964

References


Allen, G.R. 1975. Damselfishes of the South Seas. New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 237 pp. 251 figs. 

Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Melle, Germany : Mergus Verlag 271 pp. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2 (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Francis, M.P. 2019. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. figshare. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4428305.v2

Francis, M.P., Worthington, C.J., Saul, P. & Clements, K.D. 1999. New and rare tropical and subtropical fishes from northern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 33: 571-586, https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.1999.9516901 (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Iwatsubo, H. & Motomura, H. 2013. Redescriptions of Chromis notata (Temminck and Schlegel, 1843) and C. kennensis Whitley, 1964 with the description of a new species of Chromis (Perciformes: Pomacentridae). Species Diversity 18(2): 193-213. https://doi.org/10.12782/sd.18.2.193

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Kuiter, R. & Kuiter, S. 2018. Coastal sea-fishes of south-eastern Australia. Seaford, Victoria : Aquatic Photographics, 371 pp. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Randall, J.E., 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 720 pp. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. (edn 2) Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Stewart, A.L., Roberts, C.D. & Struthers, C.D. 2015. 203 Family Pomacentridae. pp. 1406-1423 in Roberts, C.D., Stewart, A.L. & Struthers, C.D. (eds). The Fishes of New Zealand. Wellington : Te Papa Press Vol. 4 pp. 1153-1748. (as Chromis flavomaculata)

Tang, K.L., Stiassny, M.L.J., Mayden, R.L. & DeSalle, R. 2021. Systematics of Damselfishes. Ichthyology & Herpetology 109(1): 258-318, https://doi.org/10.1643/i2020105

Whitley, G.P. 1964. Fishes from the Coral Sea and the Swain Reefs. Records of the Australian Museum 26(5): 145-195 figs 1-15 pls 8-10 https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.26.1964.673 

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37372042

Depth:5-40 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:16 cm TL

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CAAB distribution map