Natal sergeant
Abudefduf natalensis Hensley & Randall, 1983
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Abudefduf natalensis, known as the Natal sergeant, is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It is native to the tropical western Indian Ocean, where it is known from Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, and South Africa from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape. Adults of the species are typically found in rocky reefs at depths of 1 to 25 m (3 to 82 ft). The species is known to be oviparous, with individuals forming distinct pairs during breeding and males guarding and aerating eggs. Abudefduf natalensis reaches 17 cm (6.7 in) in total length.
Wikipedia contributors, Abudefduf natalensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:13:49.183148+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Abudefduf natalensis Hensley & Randall, 1983
- Name authority
- Hensley & Randall, 1983
- Common name
- Natal sergeant
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Pomacentridae
- Genus
- Abudefduf
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyPomacentridae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusAbudefduf Forsskål, 1775
- speciesAbudefduf natalensis Hensley & Randall, 1983
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Abudefduf. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Abudefduf abdominalis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Abudefduf conformis Randall & Earle, 1999 | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican night sergeantAbudefduf declivifrons (Gill, 1862) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Abudefduf lorenzi Hensley & Allen, 1977 | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| pearly sergeantAbudefduf margariteus (Cuvier, 1830) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| scissortail sergeantAbudefduf sexfasciatus (Lacepède, 1801) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| night sergeantAbudefduf taurus (Müller & Troschel, 1848) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Panamic sergeant majorAbudefduf troschelii (Gill, 1862) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| cow pilotAbudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Hensley, D. A., & Randall, J. E. (1983). A new species of Abudefduf (Pisces: Pomacentridae) from the east coast of South Africa. Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnology and Natural History, 25 (6): 1–10. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:8MRW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.