Garibaldi (fish)

Garibaldi
	Hypsypops rubicundus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Pomacentridae
Genus:	Hypsypops
Species:	H. rubicundus
Binomial name
	Hypsypops rubicundus; (Girard, 1854)

This is an article about the fish. For other uses see the disambiguation page.

The Garibaldi or Garibaldi damselfish (Hypsypops rubicundus) is a brightly colored orange fish of the damselfish family that is native to the north-eastern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Santa Barbara, California, and San Diego, California, to Guadalupe Island, Baja California. The common name is a reference to the Italian folk hero Giuseppe Garibaldi who wore a trademark red shirt.

Protection

This is the official marine salt water state fish of California and is protected in California coastal waters. It is frequently seen off Santa Catalina Island, California and in La Jolla Cove, and San Diego, where it is locally very common. It is also the mascot of the Georgia Aquarium.

Adult fish

The adult fish is a rich orange in color. The common name refers to the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi, who famously wore a bright red shirt, as did many of his followers.

Characteristics

Garibaldis grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in length. Juvenile Garibaldi are not as bright in color, but have iridescent blue spots which they lose as they become adult. They live from very shallow water to depths of up to 30 meters (100 ft), usually in association with reefs, and typically over rocky sea-bottoms. They feed mainly on invertebrates that they remove from the rocks.

Territory

Adult Garibaldis maintain a home territory. The male clears a sheltered nest site within his territory, and the female then deposits eggs within the nest. The male subsequently guards the nest until the eggs hatch after 19–21 days. During this time period, the male garibaldi aggressively tries to keep all other fish away from the very edible eggs. Like all male damsel fish, the male Garibaldi will boldly attack much larger swimming creatures, including humans, to the point of biting divers in order to try to drive them away from the area where the eggs are deposited.