Indo-Pacific sergeant

The Indo-Pacific sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) may also be known as the Sergeant major although this name is usually reserved for the closely related species Abudefduf saxatilis.

Indo-Pacific sergeant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Abudefduf
Species:
A. vaigiensis
Binomial name
Abudefduf vaigiensis
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
Synonyms[2]
  • Glyphisodon vaigiensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825
  • Chaetodon tyrwhitti Bennett, 1830
  • Glyphisodon rahti Cuvier, 1830
  • Glyphisodon quadrifasciatus Bleeker, 1847
  • Abudefduf quinquilineatus von Bonde, 1934
  • Abudefduf caudobimaculatus Okada & Ikeda, 1939

Distribution
By a reef with fire coral in Taba, Egypt

The Indo-Pacific sergeant is found in the Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea.[3]Indian Ocean populations are found in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, Arabia, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Maldives, eastern Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia.[3] Populations in the Pacific Ocean are found in the Gulf of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, the Yellow Sea, the Great Barrier Reef around Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific islands all the way to Hawaii.[3] They were also recently thought to have been found in the Mediterranean Sea[4] but it has been found that the majority, if not all, of the specimens from the Mediterraean are of Abudefduf saxatilis, an Atlantic species.[5]

Description

Abudefduf vaigiensis are white bluish with a yellow top. They have a black spot around their dorsal fin. It has yellow eyes. The dorsal fin on this fish has 13 dorsal spines and 11 to 14 dorsal soft rays.[3] The anal fin on the Indo-Pacific sergeant has 2 anal spines and 11 to 13 anal soft rays.[3] Its maximum recorded size is 20 centimetres (7.9 in).[3] Juveniles mature at 12 centimetres (4.7 in).[3] Males turn more blue during spawning.[3] Many people confuse this fish for Abudefduf saxatilis, a closely related species found in the Atlantic Ocean.[3]

Ecology

Diet

They feed on zooplankton, benthic algae, and small invertebrates.[6]

Habitat

Adults live in coral reefs, tide pools, and rocky reefs.[3] Larva of this species live in the open sea.[3] It is found in tropical and subtropical waters. Depth ranges of 1 to 15 metres (3.3 to 49.2 ft) are where people encounter this fish.[3]

Behavior

These fish form large aggregations.[3] In the aggregations, individuals either feed in the midwater or tend their nests.[3]

In the aquarium

This fish is found in the aquarium trade.

Hazards to humans

There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from this fish.[3]

Life Cycle

Early life

The larva hatch and drift out in to the pelagic zone.[3] They drift in the waves and grow up until they go to a reef.[3]

Breeding

Males turn more bluish during spawning.[3] They build nests on rocks or coral ledges.[3] Then, females lay their eggs in the nests and the male fertilizes them.[7] Males guard and aerate the eggs until they hatch.[7]

References
  1. Allen, G.; Williams, J.T.; Larson, H. & Burt, J. (2017). "Abudefduf vaigiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T188609A1901550. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T188609A1901550.en.
  2. "Synonyms of Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)". FishBase. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Abudefduf vaigiensis" in FishBase. May 2007 version.
  4. Siliotti, A. (2002) fishes of the red sea Verona, Geodia ISBN 88-87177-42-2
  5. Rami Tsadok; Maxim Rubin-Blum; Eli Shemesh & Dan Tchernov (2015). "On the occurrence and identification of Abudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the easternmost Mediterranean Sea" (PDF). Aquatic Invasions. 10 (1): 101–105. doi:10.3391/ai.2015.10.1.10.
  6. Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) Coral reef guide; Red Sea London, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-715986-2
  7. "Abudefduf vaigiensis" Encyclopedia of Life Retrieved on December 21, 2014

Further reading
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