Mecaenichthys immaculatus (Ogilby, 1885)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The immaculate damselfish (Mecaenichthys immaculatus), also known as the green puller, is a species of ray-finned fish, it is the only species in the monotypic genus Mecaenichthys, classified in the subfamily Pomacentrinae of the family Pomacentridae.
The immaculate damselfish is distinguished from other species of damselfishes by having a pointed head with large eyes and bluish-silver coloured body with a thin blue iridescent margin around the caudal fin. The juveniles are orange in colour with bright blue iridescent stripes. The juveniles are similar to juveniles of the damselfish of the genus Parma. This species grows to 15 centimetres (5.9 in).
The Immaculate damselfish is endemic to Australia where it is known from marine waters of southern Queensland to southern New South Wales. The species is found in depths of 0–55 metres (0–180 ft). The adults are found on rocky or weedy inshore reefs and form pairs during breeding. Their eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate where they are guarded and aerated by the male.
Wikipedia contributors, Immaculate damselfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:10.526387+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mecaenichthys immaculatus (Ogilby, 1885)
- Name authority
- (Ogilby, 1885)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Pomacentridae
- Genus
- Mecaenichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyPomacentridae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusMecaenichthys Whitley, 1929
- speciesMecaenichthys immaculatus (Ogilby, 1885)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Heliastes immaculatus Ogilby, 1885 Ogilby, 1885 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281539 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3YJMJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.