Species: Abudefduf taurus, Night Sergeant

Abudefduf taurus (Müller & Troschel in Schomburgk, 1848)

Night Sergeant

Body relatively deep, oblong, compressed, robust; 1 pair of nostrils; preorbital bone narrow, without a notch above top lip; suborbital bone under eye fused to cheek, its lower border completely covered with scales, that bone and preopercle both with smooth edges; mouth small, protrusible, opens at front; teeth in single row, with notched or flat tips; a single continuous dorsal fin, XIII,11-12; anal fin II, 10; no projecting short spines at upper and lower base of tail fin; caudal fin bluntly forked; scales are moderately large and rough; body scaled, head largely scaled, as are the basal parts of the median fins; lateral line incomplete, ends under end of dorsal fin base; 19-20 scales on lateral line.

Tan, often with a yellowish case; nape and body with 4 irregular dark bars that are wider than pale interspaces, a 5th narrow dark bar and a dark blotch on top of tail base.

Maximum size to 25 cm.

Inhabits shallow wave swept areas of reefs & rocky shorelines

Depth: 0-5 m, usually <1 m.

The tropical and subtropical E&W Atlantic; 33N to 20S.