Dascyllus reticulatus

Dascyllus reticulatus
	In Bali, Indonesia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Blenniiformes
Family:	Pomacentridae
Genus:	Dascyllus
Species:	D. reticulatus
Binomial name
	Dascyllus reticulatus; (Richardson, 1846)
Synonyms
	Heliases reticulatus Richardson, 1846; Dascyllus xanthosoma Bleeker, 1851; Pomacentrus unifasciatus Kner, 1868;

Dascyllus reticulatus, known commonly as the reticulate dascyllus or two-stripe damselfish among other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Pomacentridae.^[1]

Reticulate dascyllus is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific region.^[1]

In captivity, it is known among aquarium owners for its hardiness, and is thus often recommended to novice saltwater aquarium owners.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of Dascyllus reticulatus is problematic, because mitochondrial DNA analysis of the species shows that the species is not monophyletic. Although distributed across the Western Pacific, the northern population has been found to clade with D. flavicaudus, while the southern population has been found to clade with D. carneus instead.^[2]

Description

Dascyllus reticulatus is a small marine fish that reaches up to 9 centimetres (3.5 in) in length. It is grey, with two vertical stripes and a blue-green tail.

Behavior

Dascyllus reticulatus is an aggressive fish, and will often harass similarly sized fish. It is also territorial with members of its own species, and (in an aquarium context) with new additions to a tank, but does not harm corals or invertebrates.