Canarian Damselfish

The Canarian damselfish — known locally as fula negra — is the most abundant reef fish at Palm Mar and across Tenerife's volcanic reefs, occurring in dense schools of hundreds of individuals that swarm the black basalt boulders from the surface to 15 metres depth and whose incessant territorial disputes and courtship chases create a constant visual pulse across the entire reef zone. As endemic species whose range is restricted to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores, they are the keystone indicator of Macaronesian reef integrity — when their populations are dense and age-structured, the reef is in good condition. Males guard benthic nest sites of pink egg patches pressed to bare rock and become dramatically aggressive toward any approaching animal during breeding, making photography of nesting behaviour one of the site's most engaging macro subjects.