Humbug dascyllus

The humbug dascyllus (Dascyllus aruanus) is barely the size of a matchbox, white with three broad black bars – hence the English name "humbug", after the striped candy. Its deep, laterally compressed body fits perfectly into the narrow gaps between coral branches. Small as it is, its pattern is so contrasty that a group hovering above a coral head is visible from far away, like scattered black-and-white confetti.

The species is a champion of site fidelity: each group adopts a single branching stony coral colony – typically an Acropora or Pocillopora head – and practically never strays more than half a metre from it. The group is organised in a strict hierarchy: the largest male rules the coral head, surrounded by smaller females and juveniles. At any threat the whole group vanishes among the branches in a single flash, where predators cannot follow – then re-emerges gradually, in order of rank.

You meet them at every turn in Hurghada's shallow coral gardens, and since they typically live at 1–10 metres, snorkelers can watch them perfectly. Pause beside a coral head for a few minutes and stay still: first one or two brave individuals appear, then slowly the whole group reclaims its station above the coral. For patient photographers they are a treat – the black-and-white pattern among the coral branches makes graphic, timeless images.