Fish identification archive / Cocoa Damselfish
Cocoa Damselfish
Stegastes xanthurus
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Fun facts for your next surface interval
- The cocoa name ages well: bright youngsters usually become more subdued brown adults.
- A name change, not a new neighbor: older Caribbean guides may call it Stegastes variabilis.
- The eyespot spills over: in young fish it crosses from the dorsal fin onto the back.
Florida and local context
Lake Worth Lagoon, Palm Beach County, Florida: Lake Worth Lagoon verifies cocoa damselfish under the historical Caribbean usage Stegastes variabilis; Smithsonian distinguishes that Caribbean population as S. xanthurus.
Documented regional presence is not a guarantee of an encounter or a measure of how common this animal is at your dive site.
How to recognize this animal
Adult Cocoa Damselfish is a moderately deep brownish fish with dark scale edges that form diagonal lines. The belly and fins can have a yellow tint. A dark patch near the rear dorsal spines may extend onto the upper back, and a smaller dark mark can occur on the upper tail base. Its broad rear dorsal and anal lobes are relatively long.
Size and life stages
The Smithsonian account reports a maximum of 12 cm. FishBase gives a smaller fork-length record, which uses a different measurement and should not be treated as a contradiction or added to the total length. Juveniles are much brighter, with blue markings on the dark upper head and back and yellow elsewhere. The cutout illustrates an adult, not that juvenile phase.
Habitat and where to look
Sheltered rocky and coral reefs are the principal setting. Inspect small feeding surfaces, rubble edges and the openings between pieces of structure without moving anything. A fish may be difficult to separate visually from the brown background until it turns. Its tail-base mark and fin outline can become more useful than overall color when the light is flat.
Range and local context
This Caribbean species ranges through Florida and the Gulf of Mexico toward northern South America. The verified Lake Worth Lagoon cocoa record uses the older name Stegastes variabilis. Smithsonian now separates Caribbean S. xanthurus from the Brazilian population. That reconciliation supports a Palm Beach County connection, but the historical record does not establish present-day abundance at any one site.
What is on the menu?
It has an omnivorous diet that includes algae and small bottom-associated invertebrates. A series of short pecks may therefore involve a mixed food patch rather than one obvious item. When observing, describe the surface and the movement instead of assuming it is eating live coral. Many of the foods involved are too small for a diver to resolve clearly.
Daily habits and behavior
Cocoa Damselfish is a close-to-the-reef fish rather than the loose overhead-schooling type of damselfish represented by chromis. Watch a single individual for returns to the same patch. That patient view can separate routine feeding from a brief interaction with a neighbor. Keep any interpretation tentative when a fish appears only long enough for one photograph.
Mating and the next generation
The species has bottom-associated eggs followed by a free-swimming larval stage. Those different stages use the reef and the water above it in different ways. A juvenile appearing in a patch does not mean that its eggs were necessarily laid at that exact location. This guide does not assign an unverified Palm Beach spawning calendar to an individual sighting.
Look-alikes and identification traps
Beaugregory is the most useful comparison for a young fish. Its small eyespot remains within the dorsal fin, whereas the cocoa's larger mark extends onto the back. Adult fin length and diagonal scale lines provide additional clues. Do not confuse the historical Caribbean use of S. variabilis with the distinct Brazilian species now carrying that name.
Observe without disturbing
Include the back, tail base and rear fin lobes in a natural side-view photograph when possible. Never move a rock or chase a fish into open water to expose those details. Stay neutrally buoyant and avoid resting a camera on the substrate. If coloration falls between familiar juvenile and adult patterns, keep the identification provisional and compare several features after the dive.
Harvest, protection and eating safety
Restricted marine life: live collection only; no spearing
Can it be hunted or harvested?
Cocoa Damselfish is regulated live ornamental marine life, not an ordinary food-fishing target. FWC lists no species-specific size limit for this damselfish. A saltwater fishing license is required unless exempt. Fish must be landed and kept alive with adequate aeration or circulating water. Daily limit: five of this species within 20 marine-life organisms; possession: ten within 40. Recreational sale is prohibited.
Florida seasons and areas
No recreational closed months are listed for this species in the reviewed marine-life rules. Collection is prohibited within the designated Blue Heron Bridge dive site. Florida marine-life rules also apply in adjacent federal waters. Sanctuary no-take zones and other park or refuge restrictions can close otherwise eligible areas; check the exact site before collecting.
Can it be speared?
Prohibited. FWC expressly includes damselfishes among ornamental reef-fish families that cannot be taken by spearing. Chromis and reeffishes are damselfishes too.
Is it safe to eat?
This live-collection classification is not an eating-safety approval. No species-specific Florida consumption clearance was verified. Do not assume a fish is safe because it is small, colorful or absent from an advisory chart. Marine toxins can cause illness despite cooking; consult current local health guidance rather than using this identification page as permission to eat it.
Before you act: This recreational overview is not permission to collect or spear at your dive site. Confirm the species, date, management area, state or federal waters, gear, licenses and current local closures. Identification artwork cannot establish an identification or guarantee seafood safety.
Official rules and health guidance
- FWC: Recreational Marine Life
- Florida Administrative Code: current Marine Life chapter 68B-42
- FWC: Saltwater Recreational Licenses
- NOAA: Florida Keys Sanctuary Regulations
- FWC: Spearing
- Florida Department of Health: Eating Healthy Seafood
- Florida Department of Health: Seafood Poisoning
- FDA/EPA: Advice about Eating Fish
Reviewed 2026-11-10. Rules and advisories can change; check the linked authorities before harvesting or eating.
Sources and review
Reviewed 2026-11-10.
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