Blue-green Puller, Chromis viridis (Cuvier 1830)

Other Names: Blue Puller, Blue-green Chromis, Green Puller

A Blue-green Puller, Chromis viridis, on Juke Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, October 2005. Source: Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

An iridescent bluish-green damselfish with no black spot at the axil ('arm-pit') of the pectoral fin. Individuals may become intensely yellow to orange while spawning. Blue-green Pullers form large schools above branching Acropora corals.
A spawning aggregation of Blue-green Pullers at Dauin, Central Visayas in the Philippines, July 2020.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2020, Chromis viridis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 May 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/329

Quick Facts

CAAB Code:37372053

Depth:1-12 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:10 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

prev next

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map

Distribution	Houtman Abrolhos to the Kimberley, and offshore reefs, Western Australia, Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island in the Timor Sea, and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to at least the Solitary Islands, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa, east to Oceania (Wake Atoll, Marquesas Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago), north to southern Japan and the Ryukyu Islands, south New Caledonia and Tonga. Forms large feeding aggregations above branching corals (especially Acropora) in sheltered lagoons and coastal reefs.
Features	Dorsal fin VII, 9-10;; Anal fin II, 10-11; Pectoral fin 16-18; Lateral-line scalesn15-16; Gill rakers 28-33. Body depth 2.0-2.1 in SL.
Feeding	Feeds on zooplankton in the water column.
Biology	Females lay demersal adhesive eggs into sandy/rubble nests prepared by males. A group of females lay their eggs into the nest of one male, and he guards and fans the eggs until the larvae hatch.
Similar Species	The similar Blackaxil Puller, Chromis atripectoralis, has a black pectoral-fin axil ('arm-pit').
Etymology	The specific name viridis is from the Latin viride (= green) in reference to the colour of this species, described by Cuvier (translated from French) as a “beautiful aquamarine green, fainter below, more blue on the back and caudal”.
Species Citation	Heliases viridis Cuvier, 1830, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 5: 420. Type locality: Massuah, Red Sea.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Blue-green Puller, Chromis viridis (Cuvier 1830)