Adults inhabit rocky shores exposed to wave action. Often in tide pools. Feed primarily on algae and detritus. Territorial and pugnacious. Generally common (Ref. 9710). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205). Taken incidentally in traps and small-meshed beach nets (Ref. 5217).

Western Central Atlantic: Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and along the coast of central America to Panama and Venezuela. Also known from the Bahamas and the Antilles.

Gulf of Mexico

Western Atlantic.

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14 - 17; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 13 - 15

15.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 26340))

Juveniles are reddish orange above, with small bright blue spots on forehead and dark spots at upper pectoral fin base, dorsal fin, and caudal peduncle; colors disappear as fish grows larger (Ref. 26938). Adults dark gray to blackish with vertical black lines on body; a black spot, sometimes diffuse, at upper base of pectoral fins which are pale; other fins dark (Ref. 13442).

Paratype for Stegastes adustus
Catalog Number: USNM 170923
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Fishes
Year Collected: 1932
Locality: B.W.I., Antigua, Tide Pool In Deep Bay, Antigua, Leeward Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic

Holotype for Stegastes adustus
Catalog Number: USNM 170922
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Fishes
Year Collected: 1932
Locality: B.W.I., Grenadines, Union Is., Near Shore In Chatham Bay, Union Island, Windward Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic

reef-associated; non-migratory; marine; depth range 0 - 3 m (Ref. 7247)

Depth range based on 107 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 82 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0.225 - 43
  Temperature range (°C): 26.770 - 28.035
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.161 - 2.722
  Salinity (PPS): 34.217 - 36.481
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.519 - 4.694
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.051 - 0.176
  Silicate (umol/l): 1.925 - 3.502

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0.225 - 43

Temperature range (°C): 26.770 - 28.035

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.161 - 2.722

Salinity (PPS): 34.217 - 36.481

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.519 - 4.694

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.051 - 0.176

Silicate (umol/l): 1.925 - 3.502
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Inhabits rocky shores exposed to wave action. Often in tide pools. Feeds primarily on algae and detritus. Territorial and pugnacious. Territorial herbivore (Ref. 57616). Generally common (Ref. 9710). Taken incidentally in traps and small-meshed beach nets (Ref. 5217).

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


There are 28 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.


Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 33
Specimens with Barcodes: 41
Species With Barcodes: 1

Not Evaluated

aquarium: commercial