is a type of reef fish that is characterized by its vibrant and beautiful appearance. This fish belongs to the family “Pomacentridae” and is common in the Pacific region.
Let’s learn more about it from teketrek.
Facts about the sergeant major fish
The scientific name of the Sergeant Major fish is Abudefduf saxatilis.
Classified within the Actinopterygii, it belongs to the Damselfish family and is part of the Chordata phylum, superclass Vertebrate’s , and Pomacentridae family. This species is important in ornamental fishkeeping.
The Sergeant Major fish lives in groups in various reef areas, whether they are coral reefs or soft reefs, forming schools of individuals.
It has around 12 to 13 soft dorsal rays, 2 anal spines, and 10 to 12 soft rays.
It has numerous food teeth, and fairly strong bones.
The male Sergeant Major fish is characterized by a positive coloration with blue hues and incomplete lines, with distinctive spots around the pectoral fin.
This fish is known to be territorial and may attack and kill other fish if given the opportunity.
It has five subspecies, with some people referring to it as the “Blackbar Soldierfish” due to the distinct lines on its head resembling fingers. This name is derived from the similarity of these lines to five fingers, which is common for this type of fish.
The primary function of the Sergeant Major fish is to act as a sentinel.
These colorful fish exhibit various behaviors in specific circumstances, but curiosity predominates in most cases.
The Sergeant Major fish is not dangerous and serves as a source of specific cosmetic products. Its pulsating colors are indicative of its beauty.
This active species swims a lot and prefers areas with strong currents.
Capturing or snatching this fish after reaching maturity is challenging.
This species is listed on the latest list of threatened species.
Sergeant Major fish are capable of changing sex as they age, with larger individuals undergoing this transformation while smaller ones do not
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Sergeant Major fish specifications:
Major: The Sergeant Major fish has an oval-shaped body
Color: colors ranging between blue, yellow, and orange, with broad lines on its body.
Length: It can grow up to 15 to 22 cm in length.
Weigh: Weigh up to 200 grams.
Mouth: This fish has a small mouth with circular nostrils on each side of its snout.
Size Has a large size
The gill incisors: The gill incisors are numerous, narrow, long and studded with small teeth.
The age: The average lifespan is around 6 years in the wild, extending up to 15 years in groups.
What do Sergeant Major fish eat
Sergeant Major fish are diurnal feeders primarily consuming algae, benthic invertebrates, and plankton. Shrimp larvae, small fish, and surface plankton are specific food items for these fish. Annelids, mollusks, flatworms, and crustaceans are also preferred food sources for this species.
Where can you find Sergeant Major fish
Sergeant Major fish live near ideal coral reef slopes. They are abundant at breeding sites, coinciding with strong tides that carry their larvae away from the shore. They can be found from East Africa westward to the Tuamotu Islands, northward to Japan, southward to Australia, and in the northeastern coast of the United States southward to the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Caribbean islands, central and South American coasts, and Uruguay.
Reproductive stages of Sergeant Major fish:
The mating season is from November to April, while in the Bahamas, it is from June to August. Courtship rituals involve males actively pursuing females in the morning hours.
In this species, males build nests for females to lay their eggs.
Females deposit their eggs on rocks, coral outcrops, shipwrecks, and columns.
Males chase females for courtship before the female releases her eggs, which amount to around 200,000 reddish or salmon-colored oval eggs measuring 0.5-0.9 mm in diameter. After some time, the eggs turn green.
Males guard and protect the eggs for about a week, during which time they turn blue. The eggs hatch after 155-160 hours post-fertilization.
The egg guarding behavior exhibited by Pomacentridae family is unusual since most coral reef fishes go through a planktonic larval stage.
Species of this fish:
Golden Dwarf Cichlid, the Domino Dwarf Cichlid, and the Jewel Cichlid
At the end of this article about the Kribensis fish, we hope that we have provided you with useful and valuable information about this type of fish, which is considered a wonderful ornamental fish.
It is characterized by its vibrant and lively colors, belonging to the cichlid fish type, which includes many species of fish, the most important of which are the Golden Dwarf Cichlid, the Domino Dwarf Cichlid, and the Jewel Cichlid.
They will be fully explored in our upcoming articles.
FAQs about the Sergeant Major fish:
Are sergeant major fish aggressive?
The sergeant major is an aggressive little fish known for being quite prone to biting..
? Is Sergeant Major fish edible
It is considered harmless and not a particular food source, although that can be marketed for edible fish.
Why is it called a sergeant major fish?
It gets its common name from the stripes that resemble the traditional insignia of the military rank.
? Is a sergeant major a damselfish
They are tropical damselfish.
How big do sergeant major fish get
It can grow up to 22.9 cm at maximum length
Normally 15 cm.
Weight of up to 200 g
At the end of this article about the sergeant fish, we hope that we have provided you with useful and valuable information about this type of fish, which is considered one of the wonderful ornamental fish, which is distinguished by the beauty of its lively and vibrant colors, and which falls under the type of damselfish fish, which includes many The most important types of fish are golden damselfish, domino damselfish, and ruby devil.
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