''Abudefduf'' also known as the sergeant-majors is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of fish in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pomacentridae. The name is from

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

''abu'', "the one with"; and ''def'', "side", and the intensive plural ending ''-duf''. The name thus 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 <> Creatures section, Damselfish - Author:Sublanding Fish 020-06-19/ref>

Species

The following 21 species are recognized in the genus ''Abudefduf'': * '' Abudefduf abdominalis'' ( Quoy &

Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. Biography Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...

, 1825) (Green damselfish) * '' Abudefduf bengalensis'' ( Bloch, 1787) (Bengal sergeant) * '' Abudefduf 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. * '' Abudefduf concolor'' ( T. N. Gill, 1862) * '' Abudefduf conformis'' J. E. Randall & Earle, 1999 * '' Abudefduf declivifrons'' ( T. N. Gill, 1862) (Mexican nightsergeant) * '' Abudefduf hoefleri'' ( Steindachner, 1881) (African sergeant) * '' Abudefduf lorenzi'' Hensley & G. R. Allen, 1977 (Black-tail sergeant) * '' Abudefduf margariteus'' ( G. Cuvier, 1830) (Pearly sergeant) * '' Abudefduf natalensis'' Hensley & J. E. Randall, 1983 (Natal sergeant) * '' Abudefduf nigrimargo'' Wibowo, Koeda, Muto & Motomura, 2018 (Black margined-scale sergeant) * '' Abudefduf notatus'' ( F. Day, 1870) (Yellowtail sergeant) * ''

Abudefduf saxatilis The sergeant major or píntano (''Abudefduf saxatilis'') is a species of damselfish. It grows to a maximum length of about . Distribution and habitat ''Abudefduf saxatilis'' is found in the Atlantic Ocean. Populations in the western part of the ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) (Sergeant-major) * ''

Abudefduf septemfasciatus ''Abudefduf septemfasciatus'', commonly known as the banded sergeant, is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. The species is native to the Indo-Pacific and can reach 23 cm (9.1 inches) in total length. Habitat and ecology ''Abu ...

'' ( G. Cuvier, 1830) (Banded sergeant) * '' Abudefduf sexfasciatus'' ( Lacépède, 1801) (Scissortail sergeant) * '' Abudefduf sordidus'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Blackspot sergeant) * '' Abudefduf sparoides'' ( Quoy &

, 1825) (False-eye sergeant) * '' Abudefduf taurus'' ( Müller & Troschel, 1848) (Night sergeant) * '' Abudefduf troschelii'' ( T. N. Gill, 1862) (Panamic sergeant-major) * '' Abudefduf vaigiensis'' ( Quoy &

, 1825) (Indo-Pacific sergeant) * '' Abudefduf whitleyi'' G. R. Allen & D. R. Robertson, 1974 (Whitley's sergeant)

Gallery

File:Abudefduf abdominalis by NPS 1.jpg, '' Abudefduf abdominalis'' File:Abudefduf bengalensis.jpg, '' Abudefduf bengalensis'' File:Abudefduf declivifrons.jpg, '' Abudefduf declivifrons'' File:Abudefduf notatus.JPG, '' Abudefduf notatus'' File:Abudefduf saxatilis - Bay of Pigs - Cuba.jpg, ''

'' File:Abudefduf septemfasciatus Réunion.jpg, ''

'' File:Abudefduf sexfasciatus Réunion.jpg, '' Abudefduf sexfasciatus'' File:Abudefduf sordidus Réunion.jpg, '' Abudefduf sordidus'' File:Abudefduf sparoides Réunion.JPG, '' Abudefduf sparoides'' File:Pomacentridae - Abudefduf troschelii.JPG, '' Abudefduf troschelii'' File:Abudefduf vaigiensis.jpg, '' Abudefduf vaigiensis''

References

Pomacentrinae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Peter Forsskål {{Pomacentridae-stub