Sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Name: Sergeant major
Scientific Name: Abudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Pomacentridae
Group: Bony fish
Class: Fish

Size: 11-25 cm.

Sergeant majors are very common tropical fish and the fact that they can tolerate up to 37°C allows them to be found in many places where other species will not occur. Adult animals will abound in relatively shallow areas whereas juveniles are more frequently found amongst patches of floating sargassum. As with all species in this family, males watch over the eggs. Interestingly, during the breeding season, the males' coloration will shift from the typical five black stripes to a more bluish colouring. Schools with several hundred individuals are often sighted feeding together. Their diet includes algae, small crustaceans, fish and a wide assortment of invertebrate larvae.

Photo by:
www.animal-world.com

Oceanário Location

Global Ocean