How related are they?
Same order, Ovalentaria (unplaced) (Unplaced ovalentarian fishes): relatives from different families
They split at the family level: the Royal Gramma belongs to Grammatidae (Basslets), the Orchid Dottyback to Pseudochromidae (Dottybacks).
Find the Royal Gramma on the tree · Find the Orchid Dottyback on the tree
Family lines, side by side
Highlighted rows are groups both animals belong to. The marked row is where their lines go separate ways.
| Rank | Royal Gramma | Orchid Dottyback |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia Animals | |
| Phylum | Chordata Chordates | |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata Vertebrates | |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates | |
| Parvphylum | Osteichthyes bony fishes | |
| Gigaclass | Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes | |
| Superclass | Actinopteri | |
| Class | Teleostei Teleost fishes | |
| Order | Ovalentaria (unplaced) Unplaced ovalentarian fishes | |
| Family split | Grammatidae Basslets | Pseudochromidae Dottybacks |
| Subfamily | — | Pseudochrominae |
| Genus | Gramma Grammas | Pseudochromis Dottybacks |
| Species | Gramma loreto Royal Gramma | Pseudochromis fridmani Orchid Dottyback |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Royal Gramma | Orchid Dottyback |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fish · Basslet | Fish · Dottyback |
| Care level | Easy | Easy |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Semi-aggressive |
| Diet | Carnivore | Carnivore |
| Favorite foods | Mysis shrimp, Enriched brine shrimp, Copepods (live or frozen) | Mysis shrimp, Vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, Calanus and other copepods |
| Max size | 3.5 in (8.9 cm) | 3 in (7.6 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 30 gal | 30 gal |
| Temperature | 72–80 °F | 72–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.020–1.025 | 1.020–1.025 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Lifespan | About 5-6 years in aquariums with good care (Aquariadise); not well documented beyond that. | Not well documented; no reliable published captive lifespan was found during research. |
| Breeding | Moderate | Moderate |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |