New species of damselfish found in El Nido

Not content with just one new species, scientists have confirmed another new species of coral reef fish in El Nido, this time from Lagen Island.

Pomacentrus cheraphilus lives in “silty reefs around coral and rock outcrops at depths of 10-18 meters”. The juvenile phase is yellow with blue stripes, while the adult phase is “light grey to dark greyish brown… with a dark-edged greenish spot just below [the] lateral line origin”. This fish grows up to 6.1 cm long. Dr. Gerald Allen and Dr. Mark Erdmann found this species in front of Lagen Island Resort in 2007. P. cheraphilus also occurs in Brunei.

Allen GR, Erdmann MV, and Hilomen VV. 2011. A new species of damselfish (Pomacentrus: Pomacentridae) from Brunei and the Philippines. aqua International Journal of Ichthyology 17(1): 35-42.

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