Abudefduf saxatilis
Sergeant Major
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)
Abudefduf
Abudefduf saxatilis (Sergeant Major)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Smooth suborbital shelf; lachrymal bone not notched; jaw teeth incisor-like, in single row, notched in large individuals; preopercular margin entire; gill rakers on first arch 7-8 upper, 17-19 lower; head length 29%-33% SL; snout length 7%-9% SL; eye diameter 7%-10% SL; upper jaw length 8%-9% SL; pectoral fin length 32%-36% SL; body depth 57%-61% SL; pectoral fin rays 18-19; dorsal fin XIII, 12-13 (usually 13); anal fin 12-13 rays; caudal fin strongly forked; lateral line scales 19-23 (usually 21)
Bright yellow dorsally, silvery gray on sides and ventrally, with five dark brown to black bands on sides; fourth band posterior to spinous dorsal fin; small dark spot on upper base of pectoral fin; dark color phase with body dark bluish gray and bands indistinct
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Rhode Island and Bermuda to Uruguay, including northern and southern Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, and Antilles
Gulf of Mexico, associated with coral and rocky reefs to 14 m; common along jetties and shallow reefs
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate waters; associated with coral and rocky reefs to 14 m; juveniles associated with pelagic Sargassum
Coral and rocky reefs, jetties, shallow reefs, and pelagic Sargassum
Biology
Benthic algae, colonial anemones, copepods, larval invertebrates, pelagic tunicates, and small ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size 150 mm SL
Eggs attached by adhesive filaments to coral or rock surfaces and guarded by males
Juveniles are common in tide pools while adults are found over shallow reef tops. Adults frequently form large feeding aggregations of up to several hundred individuals. Food items include algae, small crustaceans and fish, and various invertebrate larvae (Ref. 3139). At Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, this species feeds on spinner dolphins’ feces and vomits. The offal feeding may be regarded as a simple behavioral shift from plankton feeding to drifting offal picking. Also, juveniles may hold cleaning stations together with the doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas ). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers (Ref. 48727, 51385). Adult males adopt a bluish ground color when guarding eggs. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Attracted to divers who feed fish. Marketed fresh (Ref. 3139). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35420).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-11-15. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Emery 1973
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Allen 1991
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Carter 2002
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Thresher, R.E. (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City, New Jersey. 399 p.
Allen, G.R. (1991) Damselfishes of the world. Mergus Publishers, Melle, Germany. 271 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
Feitoza, B.M., L.A. Rocha, O.J. Luiz-Júnior, S.R. Floeter and J.L. Gasparini (2003) Reef fishes of St. Paul's Rocks: new records and notes on biology and zoogeography. aqua, J. Ichthyol. Aquat. Biol. 7(2):61-82.
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