Whitetail dascyllus
Dascyllus aruanus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Whitetail dascyllus
- Scientific
- Dascyllus aruanus
- Dhivehi
- މުރަކަމަސްMurakamas
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 10 cm (total length); commonly 6 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 20 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2021
Description
A small, white damselfish with three bold black bars, a black pelvic fin and a white tail. Groups live in and above branching coral heads, retreating among the branches when threatened. Males guard eggs laid in the coral and become very aggressive.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi Wikipedia (MRS-derived) gives murakamas. FishBase gives its range as the Pacific; the Indian Ocean population is now usually treated as Dascyllus abudafur.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Dascyllus-aruanus.html
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=5110&GenusName=Dascyllus&SpeciesName=
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/މުރަކަމަސް
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Dascyllus_aruanus_3.jpg
Dhivehi name source: FishBase (country: Maldives) agrees: 'Muraka mas'. Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'މުރަކަމަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition). No published Latin-script form found; 'Murakamas' is Pax's transliteration of the Thaana (Malé Latin conventions). FishBase also lists 'Galiburang' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used. FLAG: Latin form is a transliteration, not a published spelling.