---
title: "Yellowtail Damselfish"
description: "Microspathodon chrysurus — Fish. The yellowtail damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) is a species of damselfish native to tropical areas such as the Caribbean coast of Panama."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/yellowtail-damselfish
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Yellowtail Damselfish

> Microspathodon chrysurus — Fish. The yellowtail damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) is a species of damselfish native to tropical areas such as the Caribbean coast of Panama.

- Scientific name: *Microspathodon chrysurus*
- Category: `fish` (Fish)
- Habitats: `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 3441
- Wikidata: [Q2433477](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2433477)
- iNaturalist taxon: [49753](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49753)

## Names

- en: Yellowtail Damselfish
- de: Gelbschwanz-Demoisellefisch
- es: Jaqueta coliamarilla
- fr: Demoiselle queue jaune

## Countries with the most observations

MX (404), HN (215), BZ (171), CW (149), US (142), PA (128), MQ (123), GP (110), KY (109), VI (105), JM (94), BS (93)

## Summary

The yellowtail damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) is a species of damselfish native to tropical areas such as the Caribbean coast of Panama. Damselfish are abundant in coral reef environments. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists this fish as being of "least concern". The species is exploited on a minor scale, for fisheries and the aquarium trade. It may be threatened by the invasive lionfish.
Adult and young adult damselfish differ significantly in terms of body color. The difference was so stark that researchers believed the adult and young adult forms were two distinct species. Adults are…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microspathodon_chrysurus

## Photo

![Yellowtail Damselfish](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/yellowtail-damselfish/medium.jpg)

Photo: Daniel Estabrooks · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/365484989

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/yellowtail-damselfish?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).