About Chromis viridis (Cuvier, 1830)
Adults of Chromis viridis reach a maximum total length of 10 centimetres, or 3.9 inches. Their fins have 12 dorsal spines, 9 to 11 soft dorsal rays, 2 anal spines, and 9 to 11 soft anal rays. This species is a blue-green fish, and breeding males develop a more yellowish coloration.
Chromis viridis occurs across the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea, and lives in tropical and subtropical waters. In the Indian Ocean, its range includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, eastern Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Andaman Sea, Australia, and Indonesia. In the Indo-Pacific portion of the Pacific Ocean, it is found in the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Taiwan, Japan, Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Polynesia, Melanesia, and Hawaii. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, it occurs from the Gulf of California south to Peru and the Galapagos Islands. There are also documented reports of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. It inhabits coral reefs and lagoons, and is typically found at depths between 1 and 12 metres, or 3.3 to 39.4 feet.
This species spawns on sand and rubble substrates. Males prepare nests that are shared with multiple females. Nests are always located on sand or rubble. During spawning, males turn more yellowish. Large clutches of eggs hatch after 2 to 3 days. Males guard the nest and ventilate it using their fins, and eat any unhatched eggs. Males consume unhatched eggs to stop them from becoming breeding grounds for microorganisms that could threaten the rest of the clutch.
