DAMSELFISH
POMACENTRIDAE
Sergeant Major
Abudefduf saxatilis
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
Co, R 15 Pla, Veg, Cru Ter/ Sh F
Description:
Adult: Body laterally flattened, discoid in profile, upper body usually yellow, occasionally with shades of green to blue, and white to bluish silver or light gray below. Body with
five black body bars. The upper lip does not overhang the lower one. Adult males adopt a bluish ground colour when guarding eggs and are territorial.
Juveniles:  Yellow upper body and dorsal fin, silvery below. Body with five body bars.

Ecology
Reef-associated and non-migratory. Juveniles are common in tide pools, mangroves and raft with drifting Sargassum and other floating objects.  Adults are found over shallow reef tops down to 15m. Adults seek deeper reefs and frequently form large feeding aggregations of up to several hundred individuals. Food items include plankton, algae and small crustaceans.

Life Cycle:
It is a territorial species, with adult males adopting a bluish ground colour when guarding eggs. It reaches first maturity at 12 cm . It is oviparous, displaying distinct pairing during breeding. Its eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs
(C) Uxbona
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
Breeding/ Egg Guarding male
17
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