Arabian Chromis
Arabian Chromis
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Fishes · Bony fishes · Pomacentridae

Arabian Chromis

Chromis flavaxilla Randall, 1994
7.2 cm1-18 mVulnerable
860

The Arabian Chromis (Chromis flavaxilla) is a tropical marine fish commonly associated with reefs at depths ranging from 1 to 18 meters. It reaches a maximum length of 7.2 cm. This species features an olive-brown body with darker scale edges transitioning to gray on the underside. Its spinous dorsal and anal fin margins, along with the lateral edges of its pelvic fins, exhibit a blue coloration. Notably, the axil of the pectoral fins is marked by a bright orange-yellow, while the caudal fin is light greenish-gray, each lobe presenting a broad black band and narrow blue upper and lower margins.

Adult Arabian Chromis typically form aggregations on reefs, where they feed on zooplankton and seek refuge in branching corals. They are oviparous, exhibiting distinct pairing behaviors during the breeding season. The eggs are demersal, adhering to the substrate, with males actively guarding and aerating them.

This species is found in the undefined, particularly around the Arabian Peninsula, extending from the northern 🌊 Red Sea to the 🌊 Persian Gulf. The name "Chromis" originates from Greek, referring to a type of fish, possibly a perch.

Why it's threatened

Residential & commercial development
Housing & urban areas · Commercial & industrial areas · Tourism & recreation areas
Human intrusions & disturbance
Work & other activities
Climate change & severe weather
Temperature extremes
Other
Other threat

In the Persian Gulf, substantial sea bottom dredging, resulting in changes of water flow and sedimentation rates, for industrial, infrastructure-based, and residential and tourism development along the coast have caused deterioration in most benthic habitats (Sheppard et al. 2010). Coral assemblages in the Persian Gulf, are estimated (likely overestimated) to have a total area of occupancy of 700 km². Al-Ghadban and Price (2002) determined that by the early 1990s, 40% of most of the Persian Gulf states' coasts had been developed in some way. It is not known whether or not C. flavaxilla is directly affected by coastal development, but due to the large-scale of coastal development throughout the Persian Gulf and given the habitat preferences of the species, it is likely that it is impacted negatively in some parts of the region. As a result of increasing sea surface temperatures, coral bleaching events have also increased in frequency over the past few decades (Burt et al. 2014), degrading coral assemblages in the Persian Gulf, especially those found nearshore in the southern Persian Gulf. This is likely to also have a negative impact on this species.

Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.

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Last Update: June 28, 2026