Black Scalyfin, Parma alboscapularis Allen & Hoese 1975

Other Names: Black Angelfish, Kermadec Scalyfin, New Zealand Black Angelfish

A Black Scalyfin, Parma alboscapularis, at North Head, Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea. Source: Andrew J. Green / Reef life Survey. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

A uniform dark brown to bluish-brown scalyfin, often with white patch on the shoulder. Juveniles are yellowish-orange with iridescent blue spots on the head and body, blue lines on the head, and a prominent black ocellus between the spinous and soft-rayed parts of the dorsal fin.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Parma alboscapularis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2332

Black Scalyfin, Parma alboscapularis Allen & Hoese 1975

More Info

Distribution	Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Elsewhere the species occurs in New Zealand, including the Kermadec Islands. Inhabits inshore rocky reefs.
Features	Dorsal fin XIII, 18-29; Anal fin II, 14-16; Pectoral fin 21-22; Pelvic fin 1, 5; Caudal fin (branched rays) 13; Gill rakers on first arch 9-13 + 1 + 10-11 = 19-25; Lateral-line, tubed scales 25-31; Vertical scale rows from upper edge of gill opening to base of caudal fin 36-41; horizontal scale rows from base of dorsal fin to terminal lateral-line scale (exclusive of dorsal base sheath scales) 3-4; scale rows from lateral-line to anal fin origin 15-16; teeth elongate and narrow with conical to nearly pointed tips, about 54 to 60 in a single row in each jaw of adults.
Colour	Adults are dark brown with black fins, sometimes with a white patch on the shoulder. Juveniles are yellowish-orange with iridescent blue spots covering the head and body, blue lines extending from the snout to the anterior part of the back; spinous dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins with narrow blue margins. A prominent black ocellus is present at the junction between the spinous and soft-rayed parts of the dorsal fin.
Feeding	Feeds mainly on algae.
Biology	Eggs are demersal and are attached to the algal carpet which covers the vertical surface of large boulders or rocky crevices. The male parent guards the nest during incubation and shows a marked increase in territorial behaviour during this period, which lasts less than 10 days.
Remarks	The white shoulder patch is 'turned' on or off according to behavioural 'moods'. It is generally flashed while driving intruders away from their territory and is particularly apparent in males during nest guarding activities.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin albus (= white) and scapularis (= of the shoulder) in reference to the white shoulder patch which is seen on live adults (although not always visible).
Species Citation	Parma alboscapularis Allen & Hoese 1975, Records of the Western Australian Museum 3(4): 279, figs 1G, 2G, 13, 14. Type locality: off Erskine Valley Stream, Lord Howe Island, 8 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Black Scalyfin, Parma alboscapularis Allen & Hoese 1975

References

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

Allen, G.R. 1987. A new species of pomacentrid fish with notes on other damselfishes of the Kermadec Islands. Records of the Western Australian Museum 13(2): 263-273. See ref online

Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Melle, Germany : Mergus Verlag 271 pp.

Allen, G. R. 2001. Family Pomacentridae. in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

Allen, G.R. & Hoese, D.F. 1975. A review of the pomacentrid fish genus Parma, with descriptions of two new species. Records of the Western Australian Museum 3(4): 261-294 figs 1-18 See ref online

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

Francis, M. 2001. Coastal Fishes of New Zealand. Auckland : Reed Publishing (NZ) 3, 103 pp.

Francis, M.P., Grace, R.V. & Paulin, C.D. 1987. Coastal fishes of the Kermadec Islands. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 21(1): 1-13.

Francis, M.P. & Randall, J.E. 1993. Further additions to the fish faunas of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 118-135 figs 1-22 pls 1-4.

Russell, B.C., 1983. The food and feeding habits of rocky reef fish of north-eastern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 17(2): 121-145.

Stewart, A.L., Roberts, C.D. & Struthers, C.D. 2015. 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.