---
title: "Giant Damselfish"
description: "Microspathodon dorsalis — Poissons. The giant damselfish (Microspathodon dorsalis) is a species of fish that inhabits rocky reefs below the surf zone at depths of 1–25 m."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/fr/animal/giant-damselfish
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Giant Damselfish

> Microspathodon dorsalis — Poissons. The giant damselfish (Microspathodon dorsalis) is a species of fish that inhabits rocky reefs below the surf zone at depths of 1–25 m.

- Scientific name: *Microspathodon dorsalis*
- Category: `fish` (Poissons)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mer et côte)
- iNaturalist observations: 2564
- Wikidata: [Q3757401](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3757401)
- iNaturalist taxon: [105832](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/105832)

## Names

- en: Giant Damselfish
- de: Riesenriffbarsch
- es: Jaqueta gigante

## Countries with the most observations

MX (1554), CR (348), EC (298), PA (134), CO (17), NI (5)

## Summary

The giant damselfish (Microspathodon dorsalis) is a species of fish that inhabits rocky reefs below the surf zone at depths of 1–25 m. It mainly feeds on low-profile, attached algae. Giant damselfish defend both feeding and reproductive territories by driving off other fishes and divers who come too close. They are oviparous, and form distinct pairings during breeding. The eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs.

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

## Photo

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

Photo: Theo Summer · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/259990733

## Machine access

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