Indo-Pacific sergeant

The Indo-Pacific sergeant is a common damselfish found on reefs across the Indo-Pacific. It often forms large groups over shallow reef flats.

Also known as: five-banded sergeant-major, indo-pacific sergeant, scissortail seargent, sergeant major, sergeant-major, sergeants, indo-pacific sergeant, scissortail seargent, five-banded sergeant-major, five-banded damsel-fish, five-banded damselfish, yellowback sergeant, five-banded sergeant major, demoiselle, common sergeant, sergeant major, indo-pacific sergeant major, indo-pacific sergeant, common sergeant, five-banded damsel-fish

Look for five dark bars crossing a whitish-blue body that shades to yellow on top, with a black spot near the back fin. This barred pattern holds steady and is easy to count at a glance.

This fish has a white to bluish body shading to yellow on top, with yellow eyes and a black spot near the dorsal (back) fin. Five dark bars cross the body, the last one narrow and set on the base of the tail. It grows to a maximum length of 20 cm. Males turn a deeper blue when spawning.

Adults live on coral reefs, tide pools, and rocky reefs, especially along the upper edge of outer reef slopes and inshore rocky reefs, at depths of 1 to 15 m. The young drift in the open sea before settling on a reef.

Males build nests on rocks or coral ledges and turn a deeper blue during spawning. Females lay their eggs in the nest, the male fertilizes them, and he then guards and fans the eggs until they hatch. Large numbers of fish gather to spawn at the same time as big tides, which sweep the young out to open water.

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  Atlantic Sergeant Major

  Abudefduf saxatilis

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  Blackspot Sergeant

  Abudefduf sordidus

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  Blue green damselfish

  Chromis viridis

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  Canary Damselfish

  Similiparma lurida

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  Damselfish

  damselfish

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  Garibaldi Damselfish

  Hypsypops rubicundus