Abudefduf is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae. They are also known as the sergeant-majors. The name Abudefduf comes from Arabic word ابو دفدوف abu, "the one with"; and def, "side", and the intensive plural ending -duf. Thus, the genus' name means "the one with prominent sides".
General biology The approximately 20 species of Abudefduf may be divided into planktivores and benthivores and three broadly pantropical clades. Two of the Abudefduf clades are primarily benthivorous and a third clade is composed of planktivores and is the most species-rich. Most diversification has occurred in the last 10 million years within this genus across all clades.Youtube <<Advance Marine Aquarium>> Creatures section, Damselfish - Author:Sublanding Fish[2020-06-19]
In their native environment, sergeant majors are very abundant, often being one of the dominant species in a locale. Research indicates that some Abudefduf species are undergoing range expansion towards more temperate waters in Australia.
Species The following 21 species are recognized in the genus Abudefduf: +SpeciesCommon nameImageAbudefduf abdominalis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)Hawaiian sergeantAbudefduf bengalensis (Bloch, 1787)Bengal sergeantAbudefduf caudobimaculatus Okada & Ikeda, 1939Wibowo, Kunto & Toda, Minoru & Motomura, Hiroyuki. (2017). Validity of Abudefduf caudobimaculatus Okada and Ikeda 1939 and synonymies of Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy and Gaimard 1825) (Perciformes: Pomacentridae). Ichthyological Research. 65. 10.1007/s10228-017-0594-3.Okinawa sergeantAbudefduf concolor (T. N. Gill, 1862)Dusky sergeantAbudefduf conformis J. E. Randall & Earle, 1999Abudefduf declivifrons (T. N. Gill, 1862)Mexican nightsergeantAbudefduf hoefleri (Steindachner, 1881)African sergeantAbudefduf lorenzi Hensley & G. R. Allen, 1977Black-tail sergeantAbudefduf margariteus (G. Cuvier, 1830)Pearly sergeantAbudefduf natalensis Hensley & J. E. Randall, 1983Natal sergeantAbudefduf nigrimargo Wibowo, Koeda, Muto & Motomura, 2018Black margined-scale sergeantAbudefduf notatus (F. Day, 1870)Yellowtail sergeantAbudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758)Atlantic sergeant-majorAbudefduf septemfasciatus (G. Cuvier, 1830)Banded sergeantAbudefduf sexfasciatus (Lacépède, 1801)Scissortail sergeantAbudefduf sordidus (Forsskål, 1775)Blackspot sergeantAbudefduf sparoides (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)False-eye sergeantAbudefduf taurus (Müller & Troschel, 1848)Night sergeantAbudefduf troschelii (T. N. Gill, 1862)Panamic sergeant-majorAbudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)Indo-Pacific sergeantAbudefduf whitleyi G. R. Allen & D. R. Robertson, 1974Whitley's sergeant
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