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| Abudefduf saxatilis ( Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Sergeant Major or píntano (Abudefduf saxatilis, family Pomacentridae) is a large, colourful damselfish. It earns its name from its brightly striped sides, which are reminiscent of the insignia of a military Sergeant Major. It grows to a length of about 15cm (6 inches).
The fish feed upon the larvae of invertebrates, zooplankton, smaller fishes, crustaceans and various species of algae. They are preyed upon by some members of the Labridae and SerranidaeAnthiinae Epinephelinae Groupers Grammistinae The Serranidae or serranids are a family of fish, belonging to the order Perciformes. There are many species of serranids, including the sea basses and the groupers ( subfamily Epinephelinae). They range in si families. They lay their eggs in patches of algae and guard them vigorously until they hatch.
Sergeant majors are found throughout the tropical reaches of the Atlantic, including off the south coast of the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, Central AmericaCentral America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. Some geographers classify Central America as a large isthmus, and in this geographic sense it sometimes in, eastern South AmericaSouth America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It became attached to North America only recently, geologically speaking, wi and western AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. 30,244,050 km2 (11,677,240 mi2) including the islands, it covers 20. 3% of the total land area on Earth, and with over 800 million human inhabitants it accounts for ar. They are often found on coral reefs at depths of between 1 and 12 meters.
They are popular aquarium fish, although their aggressively territorial nature can pose problems if not closely watched.