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

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of fish in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Pomacentridae Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the order Perciformes or as indeterminate percomorphs, but are now considered basal blenniiforms. They are primaril ...

. The name is from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

ابو دفدوف ''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) (Hawaiian sergeant) * '' Abudefduf bengalensis'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred 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. (Okinawa sergeant) * '' Abudefduf concolor'' ( T. N. Gill, 1862) (Dusky sergeant) * '' 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'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, 1758) (Sergeant-major) * '' Abudefduf septemfasciatus'' ( 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 Müller may refer to: Companies * Müller (company), a German multinational dairy company ** Müller Milk & Ingredients, a UK subsidiary of the German company * Müller (store), a German retail chain * GMD Müller, a Swiss aerial lift manufacturi ...

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