By a reef with fire coral.

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

Range

The Indo-Pacific sergeant is found from the Red Sea to South Africa, as far as Southeast Australia and South Japan.^[1] Recently also found in the Mediterranean.^[2]

Description

Often confused with the closely related Atlantic species Abudefduf saxatilis, the Indo-Pacific sergeant is pale in colour becoming yellowish above with five vertical black bars. Its ground colour becomes bluish during courtship. It reaches up to 20 cm in length and tends to be found in groups.

Diet

Zooplankton or benthic algae.^[3]

Habitat

Tide pools

Hazards to humans

There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from this fish.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Abudefduf vaigiensis" in FishBase. 5 2007 version.
2. ^ Siliotti, A. (2002) fishes of the red sea Verona, Geodia ISBN 88-87177-42-2
3. ^ Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) Coral reef guide; Red Sea London, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-715986-2