Indo-Pacific Sergeant

Q: Where can you find Indo-Pacific Sergeant?

Indo-Pacific Sergeant can be found in: Egypt East, Laccadive Islands, Mariana Islands, Visayas, Australia West, Saudi Arabia West, Oman North, Malaysia East, Taiwan, Australia North, Marshall Islands, Malaysia West, Mactan Island, Somalia East, Vanuatu, Sudan, Brunei, China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Australia, Hong Kong, Kenya, Qatar, India, Israel, Japan South, India East, India West, Thailand East, Thailand West, Israel South, Saudi Arabia East, Indo-Pacific West, Oman, Oman East, Somalia North, Australia East, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Vietnam, Seychelles, Cambodia, Indo-Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Mediterranean Sea, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Polynesia, Singapore, Tanzania, Malaysia, Kuwait, Bahrain, South Africa, Red Sea, Japan, Indonesia, Chagos Islands, Mozambique, Jordan, Palau, Philippines, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Micronesia, Egypt, Tonga and Samoa, Yemen, Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, Kiribati, Pakistan, Djibouti, Iran South, United Arab Emirates, Comoros, Fiji, Italy, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Somalia.

Abudefduf vaigiensis

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Max Weight

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Max Depth

15 m

Abudefduf vaigiensis is a fish of the family Pomacentridae.

Other names: Sergeant Major as the although this name is usually reserved for the closely related species Abudefduf saxatilis.

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. The anal fin on the Indo-Pacific sergeant has 2 anal spines and 11 to 13 anal soft rays. Its maximum recorded size is 20 centimetres (7.9 in). Juveniles mature at 12 centimetres (4.7 in). Males turn more blue during spawning. Many people confuse this fish for Abudefduf saxatilis, a closely related species found in the Atlantic Ocean.

Distribution

The Indo-Pacific sergeant is found in the Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea.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. 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. They are also recently found in the Mediterranean Sea.

Diet

They feed on zooplankton, benthic algae, and small invertebrates.

Habitat

Adults live in coral reefs, tide pools, and rocky reefs. Larva of this species live in the open sea. 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.

Behavior

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

In the aquarium

This fish is found in the aquarium trade.

Hazards to humans

There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from this fish.

Early life

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

Breeding

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