ABSTRACT
The early life stages of damselfish have figured prominently in the ecological studies of coral reef fish communities, most likely due to their diversity and abundance on many reef systems and also due to their substrate brooding, which allows access to the embryonic stages and hatchlings. Despite their importance in advancing ecological understanding, specific detailed studies of morphological, behavioral, and physiological development in this family are sparse. Although there are approximately 360 species of coral reef damselfishes, only about 15% have had their early life stages described in the literature (Murphy et al. 2007) and even fewer have had their embryonic development described (Leis 2015).
