Hypsypops rubicundus
The garibaldi lives in the Pacific coast of California (U.S. and Mexico). The young are even more colorful than the adults, with bright blue spots on a reddish-orange body. Did you think that all fish are silent creatures? Wrong! When disturbed, a garibaldi emits a thumping sound that divers can hear. The name "garibaldi" comes from the Italian Army leader, Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose forces wore bright red shirts. The garibaldi is the largest of the damselfish family (Pomacentridae). Males build their nests, and the female chooses the one she finds to be the best, by first entering in several of them and then making her decision. The garibaldi is one of the few fish to use the same nesting site every year.
This picture was taken in Seaworld, San Diego, CA, in March 2004.
Genus Hypsypops
Family Pomacentridae
Superfamily Percoidae
Suborder Percoidei
Order Perciformes
Subclass Actinopterygii
Class Osteichthyes
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
Index