Sergeant-major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Scientific name: Abudefduf saxatilis Linnaeus, 1758

Sergeant-major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

The Sergeant-major (Abudefduf saxatilis) is a marine fish of the family Pomacentridae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-13; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 10 - 12. Greenish yellow above, shading to white below, with 5 prominent vertical black bars that narrow toward belly. A faint sixth bar may be present posteriorly on caudal peduncle; a black spot at upper base of pectoral fin. The adult male becomes dark bluish, the black bars thus less conspicuous on the body.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Abudefduf saxatilis
Family
Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
22.9
Common length
15.0
Depth range
0–20 m (0–66 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 20 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Atlantic Ocean: Canada to Rhode Island, USA to Uruguay in the western Atlantic, abundant on Caribbean reefs; around islands of the mid-Atlantic, Cape Verde, and along the tropical coast of western Africa south to Angola. This species is strictly an Atlantic species. It is replaced in the Indo-Pacific region by the closely related Abudefduf vaigiensis (G. Allen, pers. comm.).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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