Silverstripe Chromis

Sightings

2026 season, every one sourced

Photos

From California this season

No photos yet. If you photographed this animal in California this season, post it to the Coastal Bulletin.

Home Range

Where it normally lives

Pacific Mexico, including the Gulf of California, and the Galapagos Islands.

Range source: FishBase · Mexican Fish.com

This chromis is a resident of Mexico's Pacific coast and the Galapagos Islands, with a single record from Cocos Island. Sources disagree on its depth. FishBase lists it from about 100 to 490 feet, while a Mexican field guide describes it on shallow rocky reef and as deep as 655 feet.

Identification

The silverstripe chromis is a small damselfish with a deep, oval, flattened body. It runs from tan to dark brown, with a broad silver band along the base of the dorsal fin that joins a pale bar across the top of the tail base. Its fins match its body, and a tan lateral line runs down each side. The silver band fades quickly once the fish dies. It grows to about 7 inches.

Natural History

Silverstripe chromis live on rocky and coral reefs and feed through the day on plankton, algae and small bottom animals. They nibble rather than strike, which makes them hard to catch on a hook. Pairs form to breed, the eggs stick to the rock, and the male guards and fans them until they hatch.

In California

Divers photographed the species on the Ruby E wreck off San Diego on October 26, 2026, and on the wall of the La Jolla Submarine Canyon the next day. Another record came from San Diego County on October 22. No earlier California record turned up in this research.

Taxonomy

Rarity

Rarity in the compendium is how often the animal has been reported on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives. It moves as new sightings come in.