Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D, XII + 14-17; A, II + 12-15; P, 18-21; V, I + 5; LL  photo : A.Vella

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body deep and compressed' its depth 2-2.5 times in SL. Head profile almost straight. Terminal mouth with distinct lips. Jaws reach back to the vertical of the anterior part of eye. Body covered with ctenoid scales including on the operculum and preoperculum. Continuous dorsal fin, its rays, as well as anal fin rays, extend back, well beyond the base of caudal fin. Caudal fin forked. Pectoral fin ellipsoid. Pelvic fin below pectoral fin, its first ray elongated. color : Varied, from blue upper part of the body, head and dorsal fin and yellow flank and belly and the other fins. Large individuals are dusky. Young specimens have a black spot on the posterior part of the dorsal fin. These spots often remain in adult fish. size : 5-11 cm (max 12.5 cm) DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The color pattern distinguishes this species from all Mediterranean fish species. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeds on zooplankton. habitat : Lives in the vicinity of coastal rocky reefs to depth of 30 m.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Malta 2013 (Vella et al 2015) DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea Mediterranean : Malta ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare, a single specimen collected in Malta   MODE OF INTRODUCTION Probably human transport. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None

KEY REFERENCES ‏‏Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Melle, Germany. Mergus Publishers. 271 pp. ‏Vella, A., Agius Darmanin, S. and Vella, N. 2015. Morphological and genetic ‏barcoding study confirming the first Stegastes variabilis (Cstelnau, 1855) ‏report in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Marine Science 16(3), 609-612. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet : January 2017 © ciesm 2001